Wicked Charm
by marysunshine81
Summary: From the engagement party to the wedding night, the last sequel to my 'Wicked Brew'-series, so my very first story is offically a trilogy now! There will be some M rated chapters in this part!
1. Chapter 1

**I was asked today to write a sequel to my sequel and since I already started it and planned to post it anyway, here you go. It's still in the works though, so some patience might be required along the way, but I hope you will like it! Reviews are always appreciated! (:  
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* * *

**Wicked Charm**

**Chapter One**

"Good evening."

She heard the all too familiar voice and turned around to greet him with a much wider smile just to see him smiling as well.

"You've made it," she looked him in the eye and he leaned closer to her to place a kiss on her cheek.

"I have, congratulations again and the house looks wonderful."

Diane was relieved to see that Will wasn't angry anymore, despite their last encounter. She wasn't even sure he would have come after what had happened the previous day at the office. It had been a while since their last fight, they had gotten along so well lately. And not just her and Will, Kurt and Will as well. Will had even helped them with the moving as he had promised, not to mention he had been the one focusing more on the firm while Diane had been busy dealing with the changes in her personal life.

And then the previous day she had found out about something that he hadn't handled in the best way and also forgotten to inform her about it. That day it already seemed like nothing but a day before she had been furious and let it out on him right away. She shouldn't have, she had been harsh and judgmental and regretted it already. She knew she owed him an apology, she just wasn't sure it was the best place and time for that.

"Thank you," she replied and considered if and how she should bring up the subject when she felt an arm slip around her waist.

"Will, good to see you here," Kurt reached out his other hand in their guest's direction.

Diane hadn't told Kurt anything about the fight, there was no need to involve him in this. Not to mention he would probably have sided with Will anyway and they might have ended up fighting about it in the end, while this day was supposed to be about celebration.

"I wouldn't have missed it, I got you a present too."

"Thank you," Diane repeated herself and felt like asking Kurt to leave them alone with Will for a minute even though it sounded rather inappropriate at that moment.

They were celebrating their engagement that night, even if the actual proposal had happened three months ago. During these months they had been busy moving from two houses into one, getting rid off old pieces of furniture and buying new ones. Besides Will, Katherine had been a huge help as well with arranging their new home and planning their engagement party at the same time. Not that they actually needed this celebration, they had already celebrated on their own way and not even the stress around the move could change their harmonious relationship.

Of course there had been occasional fights about everyday things, but neither of these had been serious enough to even slightly endanger their now very strong connection. Diane only had to look down on her finger to be reminded of the bond they shared that wasn't meant to be broken. And even though it was something new to her, she did well adjusting to the different circumstances and never regretted having said yes to him.

"Here you are," the owner of a loud voice joined their trio.

It was Diane's aunt, who had been staying in Europe since spring and had only come home a couple of days ago, so she and Kurt hadn't been introduced yet. Will on the other hand had had the pleasure of meeting the seventy something lady, whom his law firm partner had been named after. She was every bit of as pretty and elegant as her niece and without knowing that those two were related it was hard to tell her age.

"Aunt Diane, it's so nice to see you," Diane forced a smile on her face. She hadn't seen the woman in a half a year, but she couldn't say she missed her one bit.

It had been different in her childhood, she had been able to turn to her for anything, they'd had a special bond, which had kind of loosened through all these years, as the elder Diane had kept marrying one man after the other following her first husband's death. She had changed so much, but one thing had remained the same, she had never missed an opportunity to tease Diane about ending up as a spinster. At least they could finally put an end to that source of disagreement now.

"Looks like I finally have the pleasure of meeting your republican fiancé," she cut to the chase with a grin on her face and reached out her hand towards Kurt.

Diane couldn't suppress her eye roll hearing her stressing on the adjective, but she also knew Kurt wouldn't find it offensive either way. She'd prepared him on meeting her aunt just in case.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs…"

"Diane," she cut in before Kurt could spell out her married name, "Just call me Diane."

"All right, we're glad you could make it tonight," Kurt smiled at her, showing his best side and Diane was very proud of him at that moment.

"I hope I'm invited to the wedding too," she looked at Diane this time.

"Of course you are," she replied and hugged her quickly, "Only we haven't set the date yet."

"What are you waiting for? You have moved into this gorgeous house already and neither of you will get any younger."

"We'll take our chances," Diane chuckled and moved closer to Kurt again, "I'm glad you like the house though."

"It's wonderful, you have to give me a tour later."

"Definitely," Diane smiled and then her eyes fell on Will again, who was still standing there in silence, "Aunt D, I'm sure you still remember Will, my partner."

"Of course I remember, William," she turned to her side and neither Diane nor Kurt could hold back their chuckles hearing his name like that, "You are still single my boy?"

"I am," Will replied, shaking her offered hand.

"Diane should have helped you find a wife already, but of course it took her long enough to find a husband for herself."

"I'm his business partner not his matchmaker," Diane chuckled again, it suited her aunt to cross boundaries so easily.

"Maybe he will come to his senses and follow your lead. Where's your date for the night?"

"I came alone," Will replied and sent a desperate look in Diane's direction, who was just about to interfere when they all heard the sound of someone gently hitting a glass.

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** Grace: Thank you for the reviews on WB and WBS! I hope you'll enjoy this sequel just as much! (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Everyone, please take your seats at the dinner table," Katherine announced formally and the table was soon filled with the people who had been wandering around the house before.

Lara was sitting on her father's right side, with her two aunts next to her. Both Helen and Sarah had left their husbands and children at home and only flew there to show their support towards their brother and meet the future Mrs. McVeigh. Diane had been anxious about meeting them, she hadn't been sure how they would have handled their brother planning to marry a non-republican, but it wasn't even an issue between them in the end.

She had to face another problem instead, given that Helen had been an old friend of Kurt's ex wife. Maybe only because she knew this fact, but she felt that one of her future sister-in-laws did show some antipathy in her direction. Either way they'd agreed to pay a visit to both families in the near future, so that Diane could get to know her future brother-in-laws along with Kurt's nieces and nephews before the wedding.

Next to Kurt's sisters there was a couple Diane had had the pleasure of meeting earlier already. The husband, Bradley, had been Kurt's best friend since high school and even though he lived in Boston now with his family, they were still close. He was like a brother to him and naturally he was going to be his best man at the wedding.

Diane's side of the table had Katherine and her family, Will, Diane's aunt and her granddaughter, Mara, who Diane used to baby-sit a lot, so she was pretty much like a daughter to her. She was attending Harvard med school and Diane was really proud of the future doctor of the family. She hadn't seen her too often lately, so she was really happy to finally introduce her to Kurt and Lara that night. Mara brought her boyfriend, also a soon to be doctor and Diane was glad to see them chatting with Adam during the evening.

There was one other person Diane had considered inviting, Amanda Jones, but she hadn't done it in the end. It was probably too early to consider her such a friend again, they needed some more time to put those long years of separation and distastefulness behind them. Tonight she just wanted to have those people around her, who meant the most to her, and even though Katherine had wanted to organize a much bigger party, Diane and Kurt had managed to talk her out of it.

If it had depended on the couple they probably wouldn't have thrown a party at all, not to mention it had been hard to stop Katherine from overreacting with a few preparations. The result was kind of a compromise between them, but Diane still felt that a much less extravagant celebration might have been more appropriate.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Katherine said when they occupied their seats, "To Diane and Kurt," she raised her glass and for a second Diane thought she would stop there, but Katherine took a deep breath and started to talk, "I never though I'd see this day and I'm sure I'm not the only one," she sent a smile in Diane's direction, who wasn't sure if she should laugh or threaten to kill her friend with her eyes, "Hands up whoever thought this day would come," Katherine challenged the audience and Diane had to hold back her laughter this time, "Not even the groom to be has raised his, that's proof enough," Katherine continued and everyone chuckled a little, including Diane this time, "But you know I'm just glad this day has come, because I love seeing my friend happy, she deserves it and we all know that this is just the beginning."

Katherine finished her speech and due to the last part Diane unnoticeably shed a few tears. She smiled at her friend then looked at Kurt just to see the love in his eyes. It was getting more and more real, they were slowly but steadily heading towards the day when they were going to completely tie their lives together.

o-o-o

Later that night Diane was involved in a rather inconvenient conversation with Kurt's sisters, as they were asking one question after the other about her, thinking they had the right to know everything and since Diane couldn't really offend them, she had to reply and be patient. No wonder she was even happier to see Will approach them.

"May I borrow my partner for a moment?" he asked in his politest manner which made Diane smile.

"Of course," the McVeigh sisters let her off the hook easily and Diane just couldn't hide her gratitude.

"Thank you, I wasn't sure how long I can go on like that, it felt like a very bad deposition and my drink started to run low."

"You need another one?"

"Not anymore," she smiled and was once again glad that Will had been so friendly with her that night, despite of how they'd parted the previous day.

"I just wanted to say good night," his statement surprised her, because it wasn't that late yet, of course she could understand that he might not have felt too comfortable being there on his own.

"You're leaving already?"

"Yes, I need to be home soon," the way he said it kind of implied that he had a reason and she just couldn't help herself, she had to ask the question.

"Is someone waiting for you?"

"You could say that," he said with a slight smile on his face.

"You should have brought her," she suggested right away, she'd had no idea Will had been seeing someone lately, she only knew that his affair with the college student had been over for a while.

"Maybe some other time."

"All right. Listen, about yesterday…" she finally decided to bring up the topic, but he interfered mid sentence.

"No, it's your night, let's talk about that some other time," he replied and his voice and his eyes suggested that even that other time wouldn't mean another fight, rather a peaceful discussion.

"Good night then," she smiled and let him go.

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_** To Grace: Thank you for the review and the suggestion, I've made it clear who was who in chapter one. :) Of course it's not the end, there are many more chapters to come, this sequel will hopefully have the length of the other 2 multichaps! *fingers crossed*** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After saying good night to her law firm partner, Diane quickly walked up to the person she planned to spend the rest of the night with before and after the guests disappeared. Kurt was engaged in a conversation with Katherine and Diane had the suspicion that they might have been talking about her.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, folding her arm into Kurt's, who greeted her with a smile.

"No," Katherine replied kindly, "We were just talking about the girls, they seem inseparable tonight. Of course they haven't seen each other in a while, they must have a lot of catching up to do."

"And here I was thinking you were talking about me."

"I'm sorry to disappoint, darling, but tonight has been about you, I'd think that much attention was more than enough for you."

"Try too much," she chuckled.

"Have I missed something?"

"No, everything was perfect," Diane replied quickly, because she realized that saying anything negative about Kurt's sisters to her friend in his presence probably wasn't the best idea.

"I was just so happy to do this for you and now it's really time to start planning your wedding."

"It's probably too early for that."

"I was hoping you might want to marry within a reasonable time,"

"It depends on what you call reasonable."

"In my lifetime," Katherine chuckled.

"We will factor that in," Diane replied laughing, "But really, we'll set a date soon, we've just had too many things going on lately, now with the house all ready we can finally breath and start planning the next step."

"You mean the wedding, right?"

"Of course, you'll be the first to know the date, I promise."

o-o-o

"Do you really want to go out now? It's freezing outside."

"Of course I do, grab your coat and this will keep us warm," she lifted a bottle of champagne.

The guests were all gone already, except for Lara and Kurt's sisters, who retreated in their rooms and Diane decided they should have an extra celebration, just the two of them, in her favorite garden. Kurt was exaggerating a little, it wasn't exactly freezing outside, it was only November, although sometime around 3 am at night. But once she decided something it was almost impossible to talk her out of it, so Kurt just silently grabbed his coat and two glasses and followed his fiancé in the garden.

"I'd propose that we drink to the fact that we've survived our engagement party, may the wedding go just as smoothly," she lifted her glass after he'd poured from the drink for both of them.

"I'll drink to that," he smiled and took a sip from his drink, just like she did.

"I'd still consider the option that we elope," she said a little more seriously than she'd intended.

She knew Katherine would have killed her for this thought alone, although deep in her heart she also wanted to have the wedding with all the traditions.

"Are you serious?" she knew Kurt would probably have supported the idea, so she had to be careful with her reply.

"I wish, but I think we can't really do that, can we?"

"Who's gonna stop us?"

"Well, Katherine for one, then your sisters, they make up an army already," she chuckled.

"You are right, we can't do this to them," he came to the same conclusion himself.

"And trust me you're going to want to see me in that wedding dress," she added a reason that he seemed to like at once and seeking out her wedding dress was one of the few things among the preparations that she was looking forward to as well.

"I just know you're going to look gorgeous."

"Of course I am," she chuckled.

"So probably now is the best time to set a date, what do you think?" he suggested without really pushing her and she had to give in this time, especially because she'd already thought out a date herself.

"All right, what about May?"

"Sounds perfect to me and it's only six months away."

"So you have six months, cowboy, to make sure you really want to marry me."

"Right back at you, milady."

"But there's one thing we have to agree on now," she changed back to a serious tone again.

"What is it?"

"Under no circumstances will I take up your name," he probably wasn't surprised to hear this from her, still his laughter echoed through the silent night.

"You won't?" he asked when he could finally control himself.

"It's a deal breaker," she said with a teasing smile.

"Should have told me earlier, before we paid for the house and the engagement party."

"You can still save yourself the wedding costs," she teased and he put his glass down and stepped closer to her.

"You won't get rid of me so easily," he took the glass out of her hand and folded his arms around her waist.

"It's not you, just your name."

"Will you shut up so I can kiss you?"

"First tell me we've got a deal."

"You bet we do," he replied and his kiss silenced her chuckle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

When Diane heard the door open she looked up from the papers she was reading. Since the person who was behind the door did not knock she was sure it could only have been Kurt.

"Hey, are you hiding here?" he asked and closed the door behind him.

"What?" Diane chuckled and pushed her glasses up onto the top of her head.

"I asked if you're hiding here," Kurt repeated the sentence with a smile and stepped closer to the bed Diane was sitting on, still in her pajamas, with the pillow behind her back, and her legs covered with the blanket.

"I understood the question, but I have no idea why you asked it," she smiled as she sat up a little more, her eyes not leaving his.

"You don't?" he asked with clear disbelief in his voice as he got to the side of the bed next to her.

"No, I don't," Diane tried to act natural, but from the look on Kurt's face she knew already that he saw through her nevertheless.

"Well, it's 11 pm, when I left the room about 2 hours ago you were still sleeping and now you're here reading something instead of being with the rest of us," he explained slowly and took the papers out of her hands.

"I have to read these," Diane reached for the papers, but Kurt quickly put them out of her reach, "And better now than tonight, right?" she showed him her sweetest smile.

"You were hiding, admit it," he was standing next to the bed, looking down on her, making her feel small.

"No," she crossed her arms willfully with a provocative smile.

"I'll admit if you admit," he smiled down at her and his statement surprised her.

"What?"

"You first," he said with a teasing smile and they looked at each other for a short while before Diane finally gave in.

"All right, I thought I postpone joining the rest of you just a little," she replied, placing her words carefully, "Now, it's your turn," she ended her confession with an even wider smile.

"I thought I join you in your hiding for a while," he admitted to her biggest astonishment which ended in a mutual smile.

"Are they driving you crazy too?" she asked without thinking, but regretted it the next moment, "Oops, sorry."

"Apology accepted," he didn't seem offended at all, "Yes they are. Lara is hiding too, I checked on her as well."

"What a smart daughter you have," Diane said after a slight chuckle.

"And what a smart fiancée," Kurt bent down to her with a smile.

"I think you deserve a kiss for saying this," she said and moved closer to him.

"Do I?" he asked and reached out to take the glasses off her head.

"I love the idea of hiding with you a little longer," she whispered against his lips.

"Let's make the best of that time," he replied and finally kissed her.

o-o-o

"What took you so long?" Helen asked when the couple entered the dining room a while later.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Diane said apologetically without giving further explanation.

"And where's Lara?" Sarah inquired looking at the two of them, clearly aware of what had kept the couple away so far.

"I'll go and get her," Kurt offered and Diane just had to pinch him undetectably for offering to leave her alone with the sister-commando.

"No, I'll go," Helen interfered to Diane's relief. It was rather ridiculous that she didn't want to stay alone with Kurt's sisters, but it would probably change with time anyway, this family thing was all new to her.

"Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?" Sarah asked as Diane and Kurt sat down at the table next to each other.

"No," Kurt replied too quickly which earned him another pinch from Diane under the table.

"It will be our first Thanksgiving together, we'd like to make it special," Diane interfered, hoping the answer would satisfy Sarah.

"Of course," Sarah smiled and Diane started to feel better, "But maybe you could visit us during the Christmas holidays, you should meet the whole family before the wedding."

Diane knew that she couldn't avoid this forever, but she still tried to postpone it as long as possible. Meeting Kurt's sisters was the first step, probably the hardest of all, since his parents weren't alive anymore. And at this moment she was actually glad they weren't, it was hard enough to get used to his siblings. And she considered it rather unfair that she only had her crazy aunt for Kurt to put up with, who was probably worse than his two sisters together, but at least Kurt didn't have to spend any night under the same roof with her.

"Look who I found, finally we can sit down at the table together," Helen entered the room with Lara, who had a guilty look on her face. Diane suspected she must have been caught by her aunt. She sent a sympathetic look to the girl, it was only a matter of hours after all until they would be left alone again.

"I told Diane they must visit us during the Christmas holidays," Sarah said, exaggerating a little.

"Kurt always spends Christmas with us," Helen stated something Diane already knew, but she was hoping they would have the chance to discuss this year's Christmas with Kurt before his sisters decided everything for them.

"We haven't talked about this yet, but we'll let you know once we make a decision," Kurt finally interfered and instead of pinching him again, Diane stroked his hand under the table gently.

"All right," Helen nodded and sat down at the table.

Diane knew that Kurt's older sister considered herself the head of the family in a way, who was used to making decisions for Kurt as well, but that time was officially over. If anyone was allowed to make decisions on Kurt's behalf it was her, his future wife and she decided to start enjoying this special position from now on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Are these from you?" Will entered Diane's office holding a medium sized plastic box in his hand.

"Yep, I baked them myself this time, like I promised," Diane said with a meaningful smile.

"Really? I thought they're left over from the party," Will challenged her with a smile of his own and a look that left no doubt about who wasn't saying the truth.

"Well, I wanted to bake them myself, but Katherine exaggerated with the food a little as always, which reminds me, you should come over for dinner tonight," Diane tried to change the subject quickly, even though she knew she might not get away with it so easily.

"Is this your way of telling me you're sorry for yelling at me?" Will looked her in the eyes and it almost made Diane feel like a kid who was caught in a lie.

"I guess," she replied, still reluctant to fully admit her mistake. She still knew she had been right, but due to her state of mind, she might have reacted too harshly and hurt Will's feelings, which he hadn't deserved.

"You should stop trying too hard, I'm not angry, besides you were right, I screwed up."

"Did you just say that I was right?" his confession surprised her and she didn't hide this feeling.

"I guess," he replied in the same way she did before.

"I'm still sorry for yelling at you though, hence the cookies," she delivered her formal apology, accompanied by a smile, she owed him that no matter what.

"Thank you," he smiled as well, showing that they were on the same page again.

"And how about dinner?" Diane repeated her previous offer, the dinner was obviously a gesture to thank him for all the help in the last three months, "You could bring your secret girlfriend. I'd like to meet her," she didn't want to push him too hard on this front, he had to decide if he wanted to introduce his girlfriend or not, but she was of course curious about her.

"It's kind of short notice."

"I know."

"I'll ask her," Will replied after a short consideration.

"Okay. By the way, we're getting married in May," Diane changed the subject again, sensing that the girlfriend topic made Will feel somehow uncomfortable. Besides she wanted to inform him about the date of the wedding anyway.

"You've set a date?" he seemed happy about the news.

"Yes."

"Am I invited?" he asked, teasingly.

"Of course you are."

Their little moment of happiness was interrupted by Diane's assistant.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Miss Jones has arrived."

"Send her in," Diane stood up from her chair to meet her visitor.

"Thank you for the cookies," Will said before he turned around to leave.

"You're welcome."

"Good morning, Diane," Amanda stepped inside the office right after Will left.

"Amanda, come on in, Mr. Lee will be here in a few minutes," Diane greeted Amanda with a smile and motioned her to sit down and she did too.

"Then I still have a few minutes to change my mind."

Amanda seemed nervous and it was kind of new to Diane to see this insecure side of her all of a sudden, even though it was understandable.

"You can change your mind anytime," Diane reassured her. She could only imagine how hard it could have been to decide to divorce a man she'd spent more than half of her life with. Diane was just about to get married to a man she hadn't even known for a year, they would probably never even reach the intimacy those two people shared.

"I know," Amanda seemed grateful for the support, "How was the engagement party?" she didn't seem offended because she hadn't been invited and Diane was actually relieved.

"It was, exhausting," she admitted without hesitation.

"The wedding will be even more exhausting. Of course you'll have the chance to rest on your honeymoon."

"I kind of wish we could skip to that part already," Diane chuckled, even though she wasn't even sure they were going on a honeymoon at all. There were so many things they hadn't had the chance to talk about so far, suddenly six months seemed an awfully short time to get everything done.

David finally appeared in the doorway and Diane motioned with her hand for him to enter the office.

"Amanda, let me introduce David Lee, the best divorce lawyer in town."

"Nice to meet you," Amanda got up from her chair and she and David shook hands.

"My pleasure."

"Mr. Lee will help you with anything you need."

"What the client wants, the client gets," David stated in his usual, overwhelming way, which seemed to have a positive effect on Amanda.

"You'll be in good hands," Diane added with a smile, just in case and truly hoped the cooperation between them will turn out well in the end.

Amanda trusted her enough now to retain them with her divorce case, which was a huge step considering they had been sworn enemies just a few months ago. But Diane tried her best to not think about the past at all anymore, just concentrate on the present, try to build up their friendship again. It wasn't an easy task, but definitely not impossible and helping Amanda with her most pressing problem was actually a good start.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The unusual silence of Diane's office was broken by the buzzing of her phone and she answered the call cheerfully.

"Hey there," she leaned back in the armchair with a smile on her face.

"I'm just calling to check up on my future wife," Kurt's amusing intro made her giggle

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," she teased him.

"Me checking up on you?"

"No, you calling me your wife."

"You'd better get used to it," he said with plain pleasure.

"Will you check up on me even more often once we are married?"

"You can count on that," he chuckled, "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, I love hearing your voice," she switched to a more intimate tone.

"You are so not allowed to talk like that when I'll only be able to see you in a few long hours."

"Then you probably won't like the idea that I invited someone for dinner."

"Who?"

"Will and his girlfriend."

"His girlfriend? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Do you want me to cancel?"

"I was kind of hoping we'd finally be alone, we only have a few more days before Sunday."

Kurt had to leave on Sunday for two weeks to take part in a special training in California, which meant he might be able to spend some more time with his daughter, but Diane was worried about that fact that he would be closer to his ex wife than his future one. She tried to not make a big deal of it though, she didn't want to come off as the jealous fiancée.

"I know, please don't even remind me of that. What will I do alone in that big empty house?"

"You can have sleepovers."

Her laughter was almost too loud and it definitely helped to take her worries away, except for one.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

"Me too."

Their confessions were followed by a moment of silence.

"So can Will come over tonight if he wants to? He's helped so much and I kind of owe him one."

"What have you done?"

"Why do you assume I did anything wrong?" she chuckled.

She still hadn't told Kurt about the fight they'd had with Will, but it didn't really matter anymore. Their fights hardly ever had serious impacts, they respected each other enough to move past them rather quickly. Only this time it had been a little different with the engagement party in the middle, but everything turned out well in the end.

"I just had a hunch. I know you, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

"Fine, they can come over if they want to, but I still wish he said no."

"That's not a very nice thing to say."

"I just want to be with you, we barely had time for each other in the last weeks."

It almost sounded like a real complaint, one that could have resulted in a disagreement and they'd already had their share of fights over this topic in the past. But Diane didn't want it to be an issue between them anymore, so she decided to hit a different tone once more.

"We are living together, we're going to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. We'll have enough time for each other."

"Have I mentioned that you are not allowed to talk like that when you're not here with me?"

Her statement reached the desired effect, so she was able to get back to the playfulness again.

"Please stop telling me what I am not allowed to do, I'm not good with boundaries," she reminded him lightly.

"Please hurry home tonight," he begged her and there was only one way to answer his request.

"I will."

o-o-o

Not even an hour later Kurt's wish came true, when Will showed up to decline Diane's invitation to dinner.

"I'm sorry, but we won't be able to make it tonight, Mel has other plans."

"She has a name now?" Diane asked, sensing that by bringing up her name he was ready to talk about her now.

"Her name is Melanie Carter, daughter of Jason Carter."

"Our client Jason Carter? The one with the PR firm?"

"Yes."

"I don't think I've ever met his daughter."

"You might meet her someday."

From the way Will behaved whenever his new girlfriend was the topic, the smile that appeared in the corner of his lips and the slightly nervous tone of his voice, Diane concluded that this woman might have been different from the others he had dated since she'd known him.

"Looking forward to it," she replied with a smile.

When Will left her alone she typed up a quick text message for Kurt and sent it.

_Tonight officially belongs to just the two of us._

She didn't have to wait long for his reply:

_I can't wait to hold you in my arms._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ****This chapter is rated M!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

The tunes of her favorite Tchaikovsky ballet welcomed her in their home that Monday evening and as soon as she got rid off her purse and coat she followed the music and the light, both coming from the dining room. She figured he must have seen her coming, otherwise he wouldn't have been listening to something classical alone in the house.

"I'm home," she greeted him with a grin when she saw him sitting at the wonderfully set table with the candles on it.

"Hey," his smile was even wider than hers and he got up right away to take her in his arms like he'd promised a few hours ago.

He hugged her so tightly, it couldn't have been more evident he'd missed her, even though they had only parted in the morning.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, slightly startled by his show of affection and his reply was a sweet kiss.

"Yes, everything's all right now. Come," he lead her to the chair and helped her sit down, which was too much of a formal gesture for a weekday dinner at home, but she had no reason to complain, she loved his gentlemanly side.

"At least I know you didn't have to make dinner, because we have more than enough food in the fridge. It makes me feel less guilty about always arriving home after you."

"I kind of love when you feel guilty, I can only profit from that."

"You are shameless," she chuckled.

"Why? Because I want to skip right to the dessert?"

"You are terrible," her chuckle turned into laughter.

"I'm just saying what's on my mind."

"Eat your dinner," she disciplined him playfully.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded and their eyes locked for a moment, when she silently promised he'd get his dessert if he continued to be a good boy.

o-o-o

After dinner they were both staring at the now empty table.

"Come on, it needs to be done."

"You cannot be serious."

"Of course I am. It's obligatory when you move into a new house."

"To have sex in the dining room?"

"And in every other room as well."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"I'm dead serious. We have only covered the bedroom, the bathroom and the living room so far."

"Don't tell me you want to do it in Lara's room too."

"Maybe that can be subject to a negotiation."

"Guest room?"

"Definitely."

"You are unbelievable."

"It wouldn't be the first time we do it on a table."

"You are not drinking anymore tonight."

"Killjoy."

"Freak."

"Am I allowed to kiss you?"

"Since when do you need my permission?"

"You are right, I don't."

He pulled her into his arms and next thing she knew, she was pushed against the table with no chance to escape, not that she really wanted to. It was fun arguing with him about it, but she didn't exactly mind where they did it, the change of location even added an extra spice. She just hadn't expected such a direct suggestion from him, but now that he was giving weight to his words, she was the last one to fight him on the matter.

His kisses took her breath away and she started undressing him right away, just to feel his skin under her palms. He opened the zipper of her skirt and let it slip down her legs then he reached for her panties and once they were on the ground too, he lifted her slightly to make her sit on the table.

She was only naked from the waist down, while he didn't have any shirt on and she quickly unzipped his pants to urge him to do what they both wanted the most. She welcomed his presence inside her and her arms clung onto his neck as he thrust in her harder and harder. Her moans were only silenced by his kisses until they both came and as a result she ended up lying with her back on the table.

He only left her a few minutes of rest then he bent over her and started unbuttoning her blouse, his fingers followed by his lips, placing kisses on her white skin. He unclipped her bra as well and his tongue teasing her nipples caused her immense pleasure. His lips continued their way to her stomach and even below and she soon had to knuckle to be able to stand his teasing tongue inside her. She came again, even faster than before and she was breathing heavily afterwards as she tried to gather her strength to sit up.

He grabbed her hand and helped her off the table. They collected their pieces of clothing and put some of them on. She turned off the CD player.

"How about a shower?" he asked with a meaningful smile.

"You go first."

"I was thinking we could go together," he suggested.

"Only if you promise to behave," she chuckled.

"Have I done something wrong?" for a moment he looked worried and she rushed to reassure him that he had no reason to.

"No, everything was perfect," she kissed him and walked out the door with a wide grin on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

She noticed as he opened the door of her study and peaked in, but when he saw she was on the phone he closed it again.

"And we need to book the place. Where do you want to get married? You can name any place you want and I'll get it for you," Katherine's enthusiasm was palpable even from a distance, but Diane wasn't ready for all these questions yet.

"Wow, slow down, please, there are still 6 months to figure everything out, there's no need to rush."

"Do you have any idea how popular May weddings are? We don't have any time to waste," Katherine tried to pressure her, but Diane only really focused on the near future at that moment.

"I'm going to spend the next two weeks without my fiancé, why don't we get back to this topic once he's gone? I might even use the distraction."

"Sure, I'm sorry, I got a little carried away, but I'm so excited it's finally happening! You two had a whole week to celebrate, but it's time to get down to work. Weddings need planning."

Diane had to smile at the mention of their previous week of celebration, if Katherine had known half of what they had done, she wouldn't have mentioned it so lightly.

"That's why we have you."

"You cannot pin all the work on me," her friend's slight outrage was highly amusing.

"Why not? That's what we pay you for. Haven't you read the contract?" Diane had insisted on them signing a contract like she'd have done with anyone else.

"Not really? Should I have read it?"

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt. Just so you know what I don't want to be bothered with," she chuckled.

"I'll bother you with everything, regardless of what the contract says. I only signed it because I knew you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Better be safe than sorry. Who knows when you plan to poison the next wedding party?"

"How much longer are you going to tease me with that?" Katherine's laughter reassured Diane that she didn't take offence on her slightly mean remark.

"Probably for the rest of our lives," she smiled.

"I should try to get used to it then."

"Yep, I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

"Of course, I'll call you tomorrow or I can come over when Kurt's gone."

"With one condition, no wedding talk tomorrow. I plan to spend my night getting drunk and missing Kurt."

"I can help you with the first."

"It's a deal."

"See you tomorrow then."

"See you."

"Kurt?" she called his name out loud and didn't have to wait long for the door to open again, "You can come in now."

"Finally," he entered with a smile and approached her desk.

"I was just on the phone with Katherine and organized a sleepover for tomorrow like you suggested," Diane said as she got up from her seat and walked to the other side of her desk to meet him.

Kurt burst out in laughter as he pulled her close to him, "You are not wasting any time."

"I need to keep busy until you get back to me and then I might never let you go again," she said playfully.

"Is that a threat?"

"Just a friendly one."

"Good, because I was thinking I might come back for the weekend in the middle after all."

"Seriously? I thought you wanted to spend it with Lara."

"I can meet her during the week and since I already know I'm going to miss you like crazy..."

"And I'm going to miss you like crazy too," she cut in and felt as his hands held her a little tighter.

"Then it's a deal," he smiled and the promise of seeing him again after only one week instead of two made Diane really happy.

"But I still need to say a proper goodbye to you tonight," she mentioned what both of them had been looking for, knowing that one week apart was still a long time.

"Just say?"

"Well say was probably the wrong word."

"That's what I wanted to hear," he leant closer to her.

"Don't tell me you want to do it on a table again," she chuckled.

"The rug looks perfectly fine to me," he suggested, slightly joking, but she still couldn't control herself.

"Pervert," she uttered with a wicked smile and he actually deserved it after the week he'd put her through. Not that she had any real reason to complain, she just loved teasing him ever since he'd come up with the 'let's make love all over the house' theory, which they had actually been practicing quite diligently.

"Did you say something?" he started laughing again.

"That's not how I imagine a proper goodbye," she said, placing her pointing finger on his lips to silence his laughter.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked, gently taking hold of her finger with his teeth.

"Come with me and I'll show you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Diane tried to keep herself busy with work while waiting for Katherine to arrive. She had a bottle of vodka in front of her on the coffee table, but she hadn't touched it yet. She'd moved out of her study to the living room, where there was more space, but the silence of the house just bothered her too much so she decided to turn the TV on for background noise.

She had taken Kurt to the airport earlier and they had tried not to make a big deal of parting from each other for a week, because it really wasn't, but she felt his absence already. After all those years of solitude, she had quickly gotten used to living with someone and the house was kind of empty without him.

Her eyes fell on the picture of them on one of the shelves that had been taken right after they had moved in. They were sitting on the same couch she was, with Kurt's arms around Diane's back and her head resting on his shoulder. They looked like a couple that had been together for a whole life and not only a few months. It was actually scary that in six months she was going to marry someone she hadn't even known much longer than that time. She wasn't always sure what she was doing exactly, but she felt it was the right thing to do, because it made her happy.

She had only met Kurt McVeigh about eight months ago, but he'd managed to turn her world upside down in this short amount of time. And even though their wedding was only six months away part of her already felt like his wife. It had been an unfamiliar feeling to her before, she hadn't been able to imagine herself as a wife of anyone, let alone a Sarah Palin and gun loving republican. But he was also the kindest, the most attentive, honest and reliable man she'd ever met. He had never hidden his feelings from her and with time she'd learnt to return them.

They had both been given a chance to start a new chapter, make a life with someone special and instead of saying no like she had done before, she'd finally learnt to say yes and had been determined not to regret it. She had already given up a lot for him and she knew marriage required even more sacrifice, but she hadn't been this happy before, so it was worth it.

Her phone brought her back to reality. She turned off the TV and answered the call with her most loving, "Hey there."

"Hey, just wanted to let you know I've arrived," Kurt sounded rather tired.

"It's good to hear your voice," she replied with a content smile.

"Are you two drinking already?"

"Nope," Diane chuckled, "I'm all sober, Katherine's running late, she got held up a little."

"Do you plan to talk about me all night?"

"Probably not, we have other subjects too, you know."

"Just don't forget that you have to work in the morning."

"It's sweet how you look after me even when you're not here."

"What are husbands for?" he asked and she found his remark so sweet that she didn't even think of correcting him, "Was that the doorbell?"

"Yep, I have to go," she stood up and approached the front door with the phone in her hand, "You'll call me tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely, just like we agreed."

"Give Lara a hug from me, we barely had the opportunity to spend time together last weekend," she said as she opened the door and smiled at Katherine, who was standing there with a box in her hand that probably contained some kind of cake.

"You can make up for it at Thanksgiving."

"I can't wait!"

"Good night," Kurt said good bye first and she only replied after a few seconds of silence.

"Good night."

"Hey," Diane greeted Katherine with a hug and they walked back inside.

"Was that your fiancé on the line?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you supposed to end each phone call with an 'I love you'?

"Is that written somewhere or what?" Diane chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure it is," Katherine said as she took a seat on the couch and Diane followed her lead.

"We don't need to say it all the time to know how we feel," she started to arrange her work materials to make it more comfortable for them.

"But he is far away, alone in a hotel room, I'm sure he wouldn't mind hearing it from you now."

"Why do you have to encourage me to be sentimental?"

"Because it's fun," Katherine shrugged and opened the box that had some deliciously smelling pieces of cake inside.

"You think he doesn't know that I love him?"

"No, I just think he needs to hear it tonight," she smiled as she opened the vodka too, which also belonged to their ladies' night.

"You won't leave me alone until I tell him, right?"

"Probably not."

"Would a text be okay with you?"

"Sure."

Diane reached for her phone and typed up a quick message, but made sure to hide its content from Katherine.

"You won't even show it to me?"

"Nope."

"How am I supposed to believe you wrote what I told you?"

"You have to trust me."

"How can you say that to someone who's holding cake?"

"I'll take my chances."

Diane's laughter was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She looked at the screen and started to smile when she read his reply.

"Now that smile says a lot," Kaherine stated.

"You were right, he really needed to hear this tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The sound of the alarm clock was especially annoying that Monday morning and Diane already regretted staying up late and drinking the previous night. It hadn't been the best idea, even though she'd needed a fun night with her friend, it had been more than due and couldn't have come at a better time. Katherine was lying beside her, she had been too sleepy to leave Diane's bed after their late night chat. They had both fallen asleep quickly, but still hadn't slept enough to feel like getting up that morning.

Katherine turned to her side with an indescribable growl, which made Diane chuckle slightly. Her friend was lucky to have flexible working hours, but Diane needed to get ready for work, so she got out of bed, grabbed her phone and entered the bathroom. She washed her face with cold water, then dried it and started applying her make-up. She was almost done when the awaited call arrived.

"Good morning," she tried to sound more relaxed than she felt.

"Good morning, you picked up quickly, must be a good sign," Kurt's voice was obviously much more relaxed than hers and she hated him for that just a little.

"I'm awake already, if that's what you ask," she grinned, "I cannot say the same for Katherine though. She's still sleeping on your side of the bed."

"You let her sleep next to you? Almost makes me jealous."

"May I remind you that the sleepover was your idea?" Diane chuckled softly.

"I know, so did you have fun?"

"You could say that."

"Good. But you shouldn't let her sleep in _our bed_ the next time," he emphasized the words and it made her smile.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I'll save that spot for you, I promise."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, but I have to go, just wanted to check in like I promised. I'll call you at lunchtime."

"Looking forward to it."

Diane finished the last touches of her make-up and looked into the mirror. This was the first day in weeks when she was doing it only for herself and not for him as well. She naturally wanted to look good everyday, but there was a difference in looking good for someone else. She combed and adjusted her hair then left the room to enter her closet. She took her nightgown off, grabbed the first pantsuit she found and got dressed. She put on a pair of earrings and a necklace that fitted her outfit, looked at herself in the mirror for a short moment then walked back to the bed.

"Are you awake?" she whispered, not to wake her friend up in case she'd managed to fall back to sleep.

When there was no answer she silently walked out the room and went downstairs to the kitchen. She put on some coffee then went to the living room to find the box with the cake from last night. Luckily for her there were still a few pieces left, so she walked back to the kitchen with them. The house couldn't have been more silent, she could have easily fallen asleep had she allowed herself this luxury. But luckily the sounds of the coffee machine soon interfered and in a few minutes she was sipping the warm energizing liquid and eating some sweet cake to start her Monday right.

She checked her phone, but the last message was the one Kurt had sent her the night before. She opened it again nevertheless and looked at the text, while her lips automatically curled up to a smile. She couldn't have been luckier to have this wonderful man in her life.

o-o-o

"Ready for action?" Will asked from the doorway and stepped inside her office.

"Give me a few more minutes," Diane replied, holding on to her coffee mug.

"Late night?"

"Probably not the way you imagine it."

"I'm not imagining anything," Will smiled at her.

"Good."

Diane's phone started buzzing on the table between them.

"Are you up already?" she answered her friend's call.

"I am, sorry it took me so long."

"No problem, I left a key for you."

"Found it, thank you."

"There's some more cake in the kitchen, in case you're hungry."

"I'm good, have a nice day and thank you!"

"You too."

Will was looking at her confused.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Katherine. Not that it's any of your business."

"Of course, sorry."

"I was just kidding, I wouldn't want you to misunderstand. It's just that my best friend and I had a sleepover last night at my house."

"I see," Will's face was priceless as he tried to process the information and not laugh.

"Kurt told me to have sleepovers while he's away on business. Any other questions?"

"None,' Will said almost chuckling.

"You can laugh if you find it funny."

Will's laughter finally burst out and it happened to affect Diane too, because she started laughing as well.

"So, how do you feel about sleepovers?" she asked, just to continue the fun, not meaning the question, hoping Will would understand the teasing like he usually did.

"At your house?"

"Of course."

"No, thank you."

"Kurt will be thrilled to hear you declined, he was almost jealous because Katherine spent the night next to me."

"So it's that kind of a sleepover? Why didn't you say so, I'm so in," Will said still chuckling.

"I thought you have a girlfriend," Diane tried to hold back her laughter.

"What's your point?" he asked and they both kept laughing until they heard a knock on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but your client is here," the assistant said.

"See? Now I'm ready for action," Diane winked at Will, who replied with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: This might be something you don't expect from Diane and Kurt, but well, it was fun to write and I have someone to blame for it :P  
Also if you feel like the scene should continue, let me know and I may post the M rated part soon...  
_**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Four days had gone by surprisingly fast. Diane had managed to distract herself with work most of the time, no more sleepovers were needed to take her mind off him or cheer her up. She had been able to get back to her normal life rather quickly, except she had always been looking forward to his calls that had come exactly three times a day like they had agreed on.

While waiting for his Thursday night call, the third but last one before they would have seen each other again, she was taking notes on a case file and chewing on some food. No one was around to make her eat properly, so she had just grabbed something from the fridge and declared it dinner. She was sitting on the couch which had become her second favorite place in the house and enjoyed the silence. It was only disturbed by the sound of her phone, but it was the distraction she's been looking forward to.

"Hey," she answered his call after the first ring.

"Hey, are you home already?"

"Yes, I'm sitting on our couch, eating dinner."

"And you are still working, aren't you?" he once again proved how well he knew her.

"Just taking some notes," she smiled to herself, put the pen inside the file, closed it and placed it next to her.

"I guess you need to pass your time with something while I'm suffering here."

"Exactly, so when will you be back tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid I won't be," Kurt said after a short pause and the answer left Diane speechless for a moment.

"What? Please tell me you are just kidding."

"I'm really sorry, we need to stay for Saturday too, we'll only get Sunday off."

"And you don't want to fly back for one day," she draw the sad conclusion with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, even though both of them knew it wasn't his fault.

"It's okay, it's just another week," she tried to make his guilt disappear and convince herself at the same time that seven more days were really nothing

"You know that I miss you a lot, right?" his voice was full of emotions and she pretty much understood how he felt.

"Probably not more than I do," she leaned back against the pillows, making herself comfortable.

"You have no idea."

"I have a pretty good idea."

"We really suck at this. Now I can see why people love Skype."

"You want us to skype?" she chuckled.

"I just really want to see you," his honest answer touched her, but there was really nothing they could do about that, skyping was really not their thing.

"I look exactly the same I did a week ago," she reassured him playfully, trying to lift both their spirits.

"I want to refresh my memory."

"Well if you must know I'm wearing your favorite shirt, to remind me of you," she brushed the fabric with her other hand.

"You need a reminder of me?"

"You know what I mean."

"What else are you wearing?"

"What kind of question is that?" she chuckled.

"I just want to see you in front of my eyes."

"I have a pair of yoga pants on."

"Those are sexy."

"I'm not sure I like where this conversation is headed," she almost regretted mentioning the shirt now that she heard the desire in his voice.

"I thought we were talking about how you look tonight, you usually enjoy that topic."

"But you are almost undressing me with your voice," she said something she wanted to take back the next second, but of course it was too late. Maybe it wasn't just him who longed for something more.

"Wait? Are you suggesting that I…?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," she tried to close the subject.

"I was just expressing how much I want to be with you right now."

"But you can't, so maybe we should stop torturing each other before…" she felt they were about to enter a dangerous field and she wasn't sure she was up for that.

"Before what?"

"Nothing, just forget about it."

"Don't play with me."

"I'm not doing anything like that," she said with a smile.

"You are right this is torture, we should hang up."

"No," his sudden suggestion made her protest right away. She wasn't ready to hang up, she wanted to hear his voice a little longer, since it was all she was going to get for yet another week.

"Okay, so what now?"

"What else do you want to know?" she asked turning back to their previous topic. It was a brave step, but she went with it anyway.

"About what?"

"About the way I look," she made herself clear.

"Now, we're talking."

The tone of his voice suggested he was happy with her answer, but she wasn't exactly content with his. She was about to take a huge step in a new direction with him and she wanted it to feel right.

"Please don't make me regret it," she reminded him playfully.

"I'm sorry, so tell me what is under that shirt."

"Let me see," Diane said slowly as she started unbuttoning the shirt not fully aware of what they were actually doing, since she had never done it before, but it was too late to back away now, "It's my purple bra," she looked at the piece of clothing underneath.

"How I'd love to be there to take it off," he said in a faint voice, "Please take it off for me."

Diane waited for a few seconds to decide whether or not she should fulfill his wish. Once she had taken the bra off there would have been no way back and they both knew it.

"Are you sure?" she asked for his confirmation one last time and she didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"Yes."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: M rated for a reason! **

_ (never writing such a thing again and if anyone asks it wasn't me :P )_

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

She looked around then closed her eyes asking herself one more time what she was doing, but her hesitation didn't last longer than a few seconds.

"Could you give me a minute to go up to the bedroom first?"

"Of course, but please hurry."

Diane wished to reply with a mocking remark, but she figured it would be best not to spoil his mood now that she was feeling the urge as well. The urge to let his voice guide her to do whatever he wanted her to do, as if he had been there to do those things to her. It was an insane idea, but there was no way back anymore. She ran up the stairs, went straight to their bedroom, closed the door and walked up to the bed in the dark. She lay on the sheets and held the phone to her ear again.

"Still here?" she asked, part of her probably wouldn't have minded if he had hung up already, but the reassuring answer came rather fast.

"I'm lying here, waiting for you."

She felt a slight shiver due to his tone and a sudden longing to touch herself, which she successfully resisted. It felt like torture to lie there like that, to have him only on the other end of the line, 2000 miles away. She wanted to be with him so badly, to feel his body next to her, his hands and his lips on her body.

"What do you want me to do?" she stopped her line of thoughts with her own question.

"Take off your bra," he whispered the same request again and she didn't hesitate long this time.

"Just a sec," she dropped the phone and got rid of _his_ shirt first, then she unclipped her bra and took it off, tossing both pieces of clothing on the ground, "Done," she said into the phone again.

"Now touch your breasts with your hand, run your fingers on your skin, massage them the way I'd do."

Before she knew it her other hand obeyed his wish and she was massaging her own breasts, while her eyes shut closed, she didn't dare to look at what she was doing.

"I wish you were here," she moaned as she started to indulge in her own touch on her skin.

"I wish I was there to kiss those desirable breasts of yours," she heard him say.

"I want you to kiss them, my nipples are longing for your lips," her answer followed so naturally that her own sentence nearly frightened her.

"Feel my lips on you, they are kissing your skin, making it burn."

"Yes, I am burning, burning for you," she said uncontrollably as her hand continued to wander around her chest and she felt her skin burn underneath.

"You should go further with your hand, you should reach under those pants, in your panties. Are you wet?"

Diane did as he said without thinking and was surprised by her own wetness. It was clearly insane that he had this effect on her through the phone.

"I am," was all she could say and she pulled out her hand just as quickly.

"I can't be there to make you come, you have to do it on your own."

"This is insane" she said it out loud this time.

"You tell me, I just hear you moan and imagine you lying there and I'm so turned on, but you have to come first."

"I'm doing my best," she sighed and with her eyes still closed she reached under her panties again. Guiding her fingers through her own vet she pushed two of them inside and let out a moan.

"Please don't stop," he encouraged her and she continued pushing in and out until she couldn't control her groans anymore and dropped the phone in the end as she reached a rather satisfying orgasm.

"I'm back," she grabbed her phone again, smiling and turned to her side, pulling the blanket on her, "It's your turn now. Where should we start?"

"I need your hands, I need your lips, I need you," his voice was almost begging and she hurried to help him out, just like he'd done before.

"Just imagine that I'm there, exactly the way you want me to be. Do you want me to be on top?"

It was her first time, but she'd already gotten the hang of it and intended to help him to an orgasm like he'd done to her.

"You read my mind," she heard the satisfaction in his voice, which made her all the more determined.

"Are you still dressed?" she had only been focusing on herself, which had been rather selfish, but she intended to concentrate only on him from now on. Her hunger had been stilled, her sexual frustration had come to an end, now it was his turn.

"Yes."

"Then I'm gonna help you get rid of your clothes, but you need to cooperate," she ordered him in a calm manner like he had.

"Whatever you want," his voice clearly showed that he was on the edge so she changed her approach.

"It's about what you want."

"I want you to touch me," his reply sounded desperate.

"Where do you want to be touched?"

"Can I ask for anything?"

"Yes, anything you want," she said without hesitation.

"How I wish you were here!"

She didn't want to think, it wasn't the time for that, she needed to focus on making him come, there was no place for other feelings now.

"Your hand is my hand, just close your eyes and use your imagination."

"My eyes are closed, I feel you on me," he said with a fainted voice.

"I'm there. What do you want me to do?"

"Unzip my pants."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Not sure anyone needs new fanfiction now with the show being so kind for this ship (I for one haven't been able to write even ever since the extended 419 promo came out), but I want to go on with posting this fic regularly, so I get to the end sooner or later ;)  
**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

One day and three awkward phone calls later Diane already regretted what they had done the previous night. It was supposed to bring them closer, ease the tension, help them through another week without the other, but it had the opposite effect. Talking to him on the phone just wasn't the same anymore and it only made her more frustrated.

Even though it was a Friday night, she decided to spend it with work, which was the only medicine she truly believed in. She was almost frightened by the next incoming call and made a mental note to ask someone to personalize her ring tones, when she saw Katherine's name on the screen.

"Hey," she tried to sound cheerful not that she'd ever managed to deceive Katherine, but it was worth a try.

"I was kind of expecting your voice mail, just wanted to inform you about the progress I made on the wedding front this week."

"I'm listening," Diane replied and she was actually grateful for the distraction and it was time she heard Katherine out about the wedding, she had been patient enough so far.

"That was easy. Is everything all right? Shouldn't you be with Kurt?"

"I would be with him if he wasn't 2000 miles away."

"I thought he was supposed to come back for the weekend."

"Change of plans," Diane sighed.

"Are you two all right?" Katherine sounded a little worried and Diane appreciated her concern.

"We are, he'll only be away for one more week."

"Okay, should I come over?"

"There's no need, I'm busy anyway."

"With what? Work?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you?" Katherine cut to the chase, proving that they hadn't been friends for twenty years for nothing.

"Why do you think anything's bothering me?"

"Just a feeling. So what is it?"

Diane hesitated. Katherine was definitely the only person she was comfortable telling everything, but she wasn't sure she shouldn't have made an exception this time. On the other hand Katherine probably wouldn't have let her not tell her anyway, since she had already realized something wasn't all right with her. And maybe she'd have helped her feel better about it in the end, she really needed to get over what had happened.

"Have you ever….tried…phone sex?" she finally asked.

"Yes, why?" Katherine's reply was so natural. "You want to try it with me?" she asked, clearly joking.

"Very funny," Diane answered with a grin.

"You want to try it with Kurt?"

"We already did," she confessed.

"And?"

"And it's been awkward ever since."

"It really shouldn't be, desperate times call for desperate measures."

"We really were desperate. Will talking on the phone ever be normal again?"

"Of course, you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Maybe I am," Katherine's words made Diane reconsider her own feelings and she was grateful for her calmness and understanding.

"Why isn't Kurt home?"

"He has to be somewhere tomorrow."

"How about Sunday?"

"He didn't want to come back for one day."

"But there's no reason you shouldn't visit him."

"What?"

"Best way to get the awkward phone calls out of your way is to talk in person. You should go there tomorrow and surprise him."

"What would he think? That I can't survive two weeks without him?"

"He'll be happy to see you and you can put this phone sex fiasco behind you."

"Maybe you're right," Diane started to realize how genius Katherine's suggestion actually was.

"Of course I am, so what are you waiting for? Book yourself a flight and visit your man."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"About the wedding plans…"

"We can discuss them next week."

"Thank you, good night."

"Good night."

Diane quickly booked a flight and was already looking forward to seeing Kurt's surprised face the next day. She should have thought of this on her own, instead of agonizing over what had happened. Katherine's phone call couldn't have come at a better time. She gathered her work files and put them away, it was time to start packing.

o-o-o

She'd talked to him in the morning, but hadn't given anything away. She knew where he was staying, so all she had to do was knock on the door of his hotel room and his face when he saw her at the door was more than worth flying 2000 miles for.

"Surprise," she said with a wide smile and waited for him to say something, but instead of talking, he reached for her suitcase and her hand and gently pulled her inside the room. When the door was closed he hugged her tightly as if he never wanted to let her go.

"I was worried, your phone was off at lunchtime," she finally heard his voice and felt his arms holding her even tighter.

"I'm sorry, but I'm here now."

"I can't believe this, I'm so happy to see you."

"I can feel that."

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he pulled back and looked into her eyes as he asked the question.

"No, I really needed this," she smiled at him, stroking his face gently.

"Me too and this…"

He kissed her softly and her lips welcomed his with a long withheld desire. Her coat landed on the floor while their kissing continued. There's no substitute for this, his lips on hers, his hands slowly undressing her. There was no awkwardness between them anymore, they were in perfect sync, knowing each other's needs, reading each other's thoughts.

"You don't mind if we only talk later, right?" he asked and she had to chuckle.

"Do I look like I want to talk?"

"Not really."

His hungry lips found back to hers again and their pieces of clothing ended on the floor one by one. This time it didn't matter what exactly they were wearing, those were only obstacles to the other's body. They didn't stop until skin was only touching skin and they could show it without words how much they had missed each other.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

When Diane woke up the next morning and felt a pair of strong arms holding her she didn't even open her eyes, she just snuggled up to him carefully, with her back against his chest and decided to enjoy this moment as long as possible. She only opened her eyes when she felt Kurt's body slightly moving and a gentle kiss on the back of her bare shoulder. She turned her head to look at him and they greeted each other with a wide smile.

"Good morning."

"Morning," she replied and slowly turned her body towards him.

"So last night wasn't just a dream, huh?" he asked, chuckling.

"I guess not."

"You have no idea how much I missed you," she felt his hands grabbing her as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't leave, not that she'd wanted to go anywhere.

"I have a pretty good idea," she smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

"Please tell me you won't leave anytime soon."

"I wish I could stay with you, I really do."

"I know. This really needs to stop, I can't keep going away."

"There will come a time when we'll be happy to be away from each other for a while," Diane chuckled.

"I don't think that time will ever come, I feel like we've wasted so much of it already. I wish I had gotten to know you much sooner."

There was no use talking about what ifs, but Diane couldn't deny her own feelings either.

"I wish for that too sometimes, I had almost given up on finding someone like you."

"You mean a republican gun lover?"

Diane's laughter burst out, "That was exactly what I meant," she replied and kissed him once again.

"I feel like a bad father, because I actually want to fail my daughter today and spend the day with you."

"And I feel like a bad influence because I actually wish you'd do that."

"I love it when you talk like that," he kissed her and at the same time pulled her closer.

Soon he rolled on top of her and they continued where they'd left off the previous night. They had almost a week to make up for in only a few hours and didn't want to waste any of that time.

o-o-o

"Diane?" Lara was happily surprised to see her father arrive with his future wife to pick her up later that day.

"Surprise," Diane smiled at her and they greeted each other with a hug.

Diane was grateful that Lara had accepted their engagement with Kurt so easily and even volunteered to help out with the wedding preparations.

"I'm really happy to see you and dad's been so lonely without you."

They both looked at Kurt, who was just smiling at them, not minding that they were talking about him.

"I know, I've been lonely too," Diane reached out for his hand and he took it and held onto it.

"So what are the plans for today?" Diane asked looking from one to the other.

"We were actually going to play pool or bowling before lunch," Lara replied hesitantly.

"That sounds fun," Diane smiled.

"Will you join us?" Lara seemed excited already.

"If you'll have me."

"Cool! So which one should it be pool or bowling?"

"Pool, I guess," Diane chose the option that sounded less exhausting.

"Let's go then," Lara got in the car.

"You don't mind spending your Sunday playing pool with us?" Kurt asked anxiously.

"Why would I mind? I just want to be with you and I also want to beat you in pool," she chuckled.

"Don't tell me you are a regular pool player," he couldn't stop his laughter seeing her reaction.

"I haven't played in years, but it shouldn't be too hard to remember, it must be similar to riding a bike," she replied and gave him a short kiss before they got back into the car.

o-o-o

"So stretch your hand like this," Kurt was standing behind Diane, both of them leaning in to the table with the stick in Diane's hand pointing at the ball.

He had been eager to teach her how to hold the stick properly or aim at the ball and whenever she did something wrong he was willing to show it to her again and she didn't mind. She glanced to Lara's direction a couple of times, but she seemed okay with it, so Diane decided to enjoy Kurt's warmth over and over again, without them crossing any further lines.

"Maybe you two should buy a pool table for the new house," Lara suggested and Diane's laughter couldn't be stopped.

It was impossible for Lara to even guess what purpose a pool table could have actually served in their home.

"It's not such a bad idea," Kurt seconded his daughter's suggestion and Diane actually punched him in the stomach with her elbow rather playfully, then aimed at a ball, but didn't manage to pocket it.

"And I thought I was getting better at this," she said with fake disappointment.

"You just need more lessons from me," Kurt whispered to her ear.

"My turn," Lara approached the cue ball with her stick.

"Thank you for doing this for us," Kurt said as they were watching Lara, standing side by side.

"No need to thank me for anything," Diane turned to him with a smile.

"I'd still love to do it later. Have you considered taking a morning flight?"

"Told you I have a meeting tomorrow morning."

"Maybe you can reschedule or ask Will to step in for you."

"Hasn't he done enough favors for me lately?"

"So what's one more?"

"I'll think about it."

"Good."

"Guys, I think I won," Lara interrupted their silent conversation.

"How did this happen?" Kurt looked at the table stunned, but proud of his daughter at the same time. Diane guessed it had been him who'd taught her how to play the game after all.

"We should have paid more attention," Diane chuckled.

"Return match?" Kurt suggested and Lara already started pulling the balls out of the pockets.

"You are right," Diane leaned closer to Kurt again, "One more favor wouldn't hurt."

* * *

_**A/N: If you enjoy reading this story, you may also like my newest multi-chapter McHart fan fic titled 'Chapel of Love' which I intend to update soon as well.** _


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Come on, dad, it wasn't that bad," Lara tried to cheer up her father, whose face couldn't have looked more tortured.

"I'm really glad you two enjoyed it," Kurt ventured to smile, but failed miserably.

"Please don't do this to us, you said we could choose any movie we want," Diane tried to reason with him and added her most adorable smile to reach the desired effect.

"Remember the classical concert you two took me to this summer, even that was better," he insisted with a grimace and hid behind his coffee cup.

"You're sweet when you're grumpy," Diane leaned closer and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Next time we go without him," Lara chuckled.

"I'd appreciate it," he said desperately.

"I thought the goal was to spend time together, we didn't mean to make you suffer," Diane attempted to appeal to his sensible side again.

"Can we just forget about it and enjoy the little time we have left together?" Lara suggested a compromise.

"I'm sorry," Kurt finally gave in to them, "I don't know what's gotten into me, I just really despise that actor guy."

"Are you jealous?" Diane chuckled as it finally hit her what his real problem was. They might have gushed about someone they'd just seen in a movie a little too much for his taste.

"No, I'd just prefer if you hadn't talked more about him in my presence," he said slowly.

"You are adorable when you're jealous," Diane was still laughing along with Lara.

"Why are you two laughing at me?" he asked looking from one woman to the other.

"Like Diane said, you are adorable, dad."

o-o-o

"It was such a fun day," Diane was very cheerful when they arrived in his hotel room later that night.

"Thank you for being so wonderful to my daughter, it means a lot to me," Kurt slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"You don't need to thank me for that all the time," she replied with a smile.

"I think I do."

She put her palms on his cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. She felt that he tightened his embrace, but the kiss wasn't the eager kind, it remained tender and loving.

"I'm so happy that you decided to stay," he said softly.

"I am too, one less night to survive without you holding me," she folded her arms around his neck.

"I wish you could stay here all week," he pulled her into a hug.

"And I wish you could come back with me tomorrow," she enjoyed the warmth of his body pressed against hers, but soon she found herself longing for more than just that, "So…a pool table, huh? What was that about?" she pulled back and looked him in the eye with a playful smile on her lips. It must have been clear to him that she was trying to provoke something.

"It would fulfill one of my fantasies," he shrugged.

"A fantasy that cannot be fulfilled on a regular table? I mean we have plenty of those in the house," she continued with the teasing.

"I'm confident that pool tables are much more comfortable than regular tables," he said in his most convincing expert voice.

"I see…" she nodded "Then how about you look around in this room and tell me the first fantasy that comes to your mind and we try to make it happen tonight?" she made a clear offer and his smile couldn't have been wider.

"I'd like that," he leaned in for a kiss, which was a lot more passionate this time and when she felt his hands move up from her waist she already knew they didn't need to deal with fantasies anymore, because the reality was all that mattered.

o-o-o

It was already lunchtime when Diane arrived in the office the next day. She wanted to feel guilty about missing half a day and a client-meeting, but she couldn't, because she'd just had the most perfect weekend. She had been sad to leave Kurt on his own for a few more days, but she already had the best recipe how to survive without him that didn't include adult phone conversations.

She'd called him from the airport and it hadn't been awkward anymore, so she was sure these four nights would have run by quickly. She wanted to organize something special for his comeback on Friday, in collaboration with Katherine, something that might have helped to convince him not to leave again for a while.

"You're back," Will came to greet her with a folder in his hand.

"I am. How did the meeting go?"

"Fine, I guess. I think we should agree to take over the case from the previous lawyers for the retrial, the parents want more experienced trial lawyers."

"As long as they pay," Diane smiled.

"Do you want to go over the file before we say yes?"

"Have you read it?"

"Alicia has, she says we have a shot at raising reasonable doubt."

"Do you want the case?"

"Sure."

"All right, I have my hands full with the class action anyway."

"I promise not to screw up this time," he said jokingly.

"And I promise not to yell at you if you do," she smiled.

"Where were you during the weekend?" he asked curiously.

"I visited my fiancé in San Jose."

"I see. Hope you had a great time."

"The best," she was still too happy to even think of hiding anything from him.

"I can see that you're getting better at staying away from the workplace from time to time, maybe Kurt can even convince you to go on a honeymoon."

"We'll see about that," she chuckled slightly.

When Will left she leaned back in her chair and her thoughts found back to Kurt right away. Maybe a honeymoon wasn't such a bad idea after all. There were several places she'd always wanted to visit, but hadn't found the time to do so. And now she actually had someone to go with as well. There was probably no better way to really celebrate their wedding than to go away together and completely forget about the firm, her clients and their cases for a while. She wasn't sure she would have been able to do it in the end, but the thought was now in her head and it seemed more appealing than ever before.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"I'm having lunch with Amanda," Diane tried not to sound like she was brushing him off, she just wanted to point out why she couldn't talk to him freely.

Her phone had rung right after they'd placed their orders and since it had been Kurt she'd decided to answer the call shortly.

"Tell her I say, hi."

"Kurt says hi," she looked at the other woman, who was checking her phone as well while Diane was talking.

"Hi back," Amanda smiled, appreciating the gesture.

"She says hi too."

"Are you two behaving?"

"We are," she chuckled.

"Good. I'm gonna let you continue then. I'll call you tonight."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell him we have lunch today, he always calls me around this time," she muted her phone and put it in her purse. Any other calls could have waited until they finished lunch.

"That's sweet. Where have you found this guy?"

"He just walked into my office one day," Diane smiled, remembering the day she'd met Kurt McVeigh and what had been her first impressions. If a fortuneteller had told her back then she might have ended up marrying this guy someday, she would have laughed at the absurdity of this prophecy.

"Is it so easy? I should probably pay more attention to the people who walk into my office," Amanda chuckled.

The waiter arrived with their orders, which gave Diane some time to consider whether or not to bring up a certain subject.

"Are you sure about this divorce? Last time I talked to your husband he seemed pretty much in love with you."

Diane was still hoping Amanda would change her mind about the divorce, even though she wasn't familiar with her reasons. David must have known much more already, but Diane wanted to hear them from Amanda, when she was ready to share. This was only their third lunch since they had made peace, there were still plenty of things to talk about before sharing more intimate details. They needed to build up their relationship all over again, which was easier due to their common past, but also harder thanks to what had happened in-between.

"He has a weird way of showing it."

"Whatever happened between you two, I'd like to think it can be mended."

"I don't think so, but time will tell," Amanda sighed. She obviously wasn't ready to fill Diane in on the details and a restaurant probably wasn't the best place for such a topic anyway, "I think we should talk about your wedding instead, it's a much more cheerful subject."

"Except there's nothing to talk about so far. We haven't even stared the preparations."

"Are you putting it off?"

"Kind of, but Katherine won't let me do it much longer for sure."

"She is right."

"I know, but please don't tell her," Diane chuckled

"I won't. And if you need any help, just give me a call."

o-o-o

"I'm here to kidnap you," Katherine tumbled into Diane's office late afternoon without knocking or any previous announcement.

"What?" Diane looked at her clueless, startled by her sudden appearance.

"I think I've found the perfect wedding dress for you today and I need you to come with me and try it on right now," Katherine jabbered.

"I still have some work to do," Diane tried to find excuses, not really understanding how a wedding dress could be that important so early.

"No you don't. Work can wait. It really is the perfect dress and we have to buy it before someone else does," Katherine seemed fairly excited and it started to influence Diane as well.

"I thought we'll only rent the dress."

"You have tons of money, you can afford to buy it."

"Good to hear you are splurging with my money," Diane chuckled.

"Do you want to take your cowboy's breath away or not?"

"I need him to survive this wedding."

"It will just make your wedding night even better."

"I can see you have our best interest at heart," Diane was still laughing.

"Of course I do. Now come on, they're closing at 6."

"Okay," she finally gave in, she was curious about the dress that was worth going to all this trouble for.

o-o-o

"We've bought my wedding dress today," she mentioned it to Kurt rather naturally that night, she didn't want to make a big deal of it, even if it was kind of the most important thing for the wedding.

"What? Just like that? Didn't you tell me only 2 days ago that you haven't even started planning yet?"

"I did, but you know how Katherine is, she found the dress and made me buy it," she chuckled.

"You've bought a dress you don't even like?"

"No, I love it and you'll love it too. It's…it's me," she thought back on the dress she'd seen in the shop just an hour ago. Katherine had been right, it was the perfect dress and she'd fallen in love with it right away.

"That sounds wonderful. Too bad I have to wait almost six months to see it."

"You will survive."

"I will. So how did the lunch go with Amanda?"

"We're starting to feel comfortable in each other's company."

"I'm really happy to hear that. Does this mean she's going to be invited to the wedding?"

"Most likely, yes," she smiled.

"Only three more nights," he suddenly changed the subject.

"I know, Friday is almost here."

"Almost. What should we do during the weekend?"

"I don't care as long as we spend it together."

"I'd suggest going fishing, but I probably can't talk you into it at this time of the year."

"Or anytime of the year," she chuckled.

"I thought you had fun the last time."

"Yeah, but I'd rather you went alone the next time."

"We'll get back to the subject when spring comes."

"I don't think I'll change my mind by that time."

"I've seen you change your mind about more important things."

"What does one thing has to do with the other?" Diane couldn't believe he compared going fishing to buying a house or marriage.

"Nothing, I just felt like pointing it out."

"I think it's time we hang up, this conversation is not going anywhere."

"Okay, but try to think of something relaxing we can do during the weekend."

"I will. It's almost here."

"Almost. I love you even though you don't like fishing," he said.

"And I love you even though you do," she replied.

"Good night."

"Good night."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

"I thought you'd never call," Diane answered the phone, sounding slightly anxious.

She had been waiting for his regular 7 pm call for almost an hour now, she'd even called him once, but had only got his voicemail. She'd tried to be patient knowing he wouldn't have forgotten calling, so something must have come up on his last night away and they would have seen each other in a few hours again anyway. But she was happy to finally hear his voice.

"I'm sorry, but I have a really good excuse."

"It'd better be a very good one, I almost started to worry."

"There's no need for that, I'm perfectly fine," he sounded very cheerful, which somehow didn't feel right for her.

"Are you happy because you're coming back tomorrow or did something happen today?"

"Not yet, but something might happen," his enigmatic tone made her rather impatient to know the reason.

"It's 8 pm, what could possibly happen in the next 4 hours that makes you so happy?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out."

"What do you mean we will find out? There's no way you talk me into another…" she almost started to get irritated, when he cut her off.

"Diane?"

"What?"

"Would you go down to the living room, please?" he made the simple request calmly, confusing her even more.

"How do you know that I'm not there?"

"Because I don't see you anywhere."

"Oh my god," she threw her phone on the bed, ran straight to the staircase and saw him standing on the ground floor with the phone in his hand. She stopped for a moment and they shared a sweet smile then she walked down the stairs quickly and landed in his arms.

"Told you I had a good excuse," he hugged her tightly.

"I'm so happy you are back," she held onto him for a while, enjoying his embrace.

"I hope I won't have to go away again anytime soon," he whispered and she pulled away to look into his eyes.

"I won't let you go anywhere for a long time," she kissed him to seal her words.

"I loved your surprise last weekend, thought I return it," he smiled, still holding her close.

"The only problem is that I haven't prepared anything for tonight, I wanted to do something special for your return."

"You mean like cook something?"

"Yes," she chuckled.

"You're slowly turning into a real housewife," he teased her with a grin.

"You shouldn't laugh at my attempts," she covered his mouth with one palm to silence him and he touched it with his lips gently.

"I'm sorry, well I'm sure there's something I can eat, right?"

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Then let's check out the fridge," she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.

Now that he was back home they had all the time they needed to do whatever they wanted that night or any other night, there was no reason to rush things.

"We should have a bath after dinner," he suggested as he put his arms around her.

"I love the idea," she leaned back in his arms as they observed the content of the refrigerator, "We have leftover Chinese, some salad, or I can make you a sandwich, whichever you prefer."

Simple things like choosing what to eat for dinner together had been the ones she'd missed the most while he had been away.

"A sandwich sounds good. I'm sure the kitchen has missed me too," he added playfully, placing a kiss on her hair.

"Definitely," she chuckled, "And I don't exactly mind that I don't have to cook tomorrow."

"I thought so," he laughed, kissing her blonde locks once again, "I'll cook something for us tomorrow," he volunteered.

"I missed you," she said smiling and she was sure he knew how exactly she meant it, especially when she got another kiss as a reply, with his arms tightening around her waist.

"So where is my sandwich?" he asked pretending to be impatient, while he probably enjoyed holding her just as much as she loved being held by him.

"Coming right up."

o-o-o

Later they were lying in a tub of hot water side by side and Diane had already forgotten about the lonely nights spent in the empty house. He was there to keep her company, his lips were there to kiss and be kissed whenever they wanted it. His hands were there to touch her, to stroke her, to tease her as he pleased, just the way she liked it. His smile was there to brighten her mood when she was down. His voice was there to calm her when she was angry or to tell her he loved her, and he did almost every day and tonight was no exception.

She felt his hand caressing her thighs under the water and she turned to him with a grin on her face, which he took as a permission to go further. Soon she felt his palms all over her skin as he got on top of her and she returned the pampering with her own hands. They desired each other so much that their foreplay didn't last long at all. Soon her legs were clinging to his hip, urging him to make her his. And when the longing was stilled she thanked him with a breathtaking kiss.

"I missed this," she said when he was lying next to her again and took his hand under the water.

"Me too, it's good to be home."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

When Diane found Kurt's spot on the bed empty the following morning she was slightly disappointed. She'd been looking forward to waking up next to him again and he robbed her from this opportunity. She sat up and checked the time, it was still early, she woke up before her alarm. She saw Kurt's robe lying on the sheets, a proof that him being back home wasn't just a dream. She took it into her hands and lifted it to her nose. The smell reminded her of their bathing the previous night, she wished they would have repeated it soon.

The sound of the alarm clock interrupted her thoughts, she turned it off and got out of the bed. She didn't bother getting dressed yet, she just put on his robe and went downstairs. She found him in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a wide smile.

"Good morning," he looked her up and down finding the sight of her in his robe seemingly enjoyable.

She walked to him and kissed him gently then remembered how she'd felt a few minutes ago, "It's sweet of you to make breakfast for me, but I would have preferred to wake up next to you instead."

"I'm sorry, I was up too early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought I make myself useful."

"I forgive you, but just because I love French toast," Diane chuckled and wanted to step away, but Kurt pulled her back for another, longer kiss.

"Here's your coffee," he handed her the mug with the hot liquid, he'd probably poured into it as he'd heard her coming, "Now you can sit down, your toast will be ready in a few minutes."

She smiled at the red mug in her hand and tasted the drink right away. She loved having someone make coffee and breakfast for her in the morning again. She slowly walked over to the adjoining dining room.

"I see you've opened your mail," she said a little louder as she looked at the pile of open envelopes and their content on the table.

"Yes, so many work stuff to catch up with."

"I hope you don't intend to do it during the weekend, because we'll be busy with something else," she reminded him of the plans they'd made on the phone.

"Are we?" he pretended not to remember, while she was sure he did.

"Yes. You told me to think about something relaxing we could do and I've made a plan."

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you now, it's a surprise," she enjoyed how she could keep him in the dark this time, while usually he was the one doing the same to her.

"It was my idea that we should do something and now you don't want to tell me what it is. What if I won't like it?"

"Don't worry, I won't make you watch movies all weekend," she chuckled.

She knew he'd love what she'd planned for them and she really didn't want to give it away. One of her surprises had already been ruined, not that she minded, but she really needed to keep the other one in secret until the last minute.

"I appreciate that."

"Trust me on this one."

"All right, I'm very curious though."

"You won't have to wait too long."

He placed the plates with the toasts in front of them on the table and they both started to eat.

"Anything interesting in there?" Diane looked at the papers again.

"One of the criminal cases I testified at for the State's Attorney's Office is being retried, I'll have to look into it again, see if my findings still stand."

"Well if they don't, you'll just quit," she reminded him playfully of their very first conversation.

"Yeah, but I really hate to be wrong," he said with a half smile.

"I know, but if the accused is innocent, he or she cannot go to jail just because you _hate to be wrong_," she repeated the words in the same tone.

"I know, I need to make sure I was right."

"Can it wait until next week? You shouldn't ruin the weekend with this."

"They need a statement from me by Tuesday, the first court hearing will be a week after Thanksgiving."

"Then you can examine the evidence on Monday."

"Maybe, the defense attorneys are surely a few steps ahead of me already anyway."

"I'm sure they are."

"Still not willing to share the weekend plans?" he changed the subject and she was actually grateful, because work wasn't the best morning topic, especially because they weren't always on the same side of such matters.

"Nice try," she smiled and compensated him with a kiss.

"I actually don't care what we do as long as kissing is involved."

"We'll make sure about that," she replied and kissed him again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"When did you say Kurt would be back?" Will's question sounded more professional than personal in the middle of their work discussion, so Diane was a bit startled he mentioned Kurt's name.

"He's back already, why?"

"Because he was the expert witness in the Thomson-case and a lot depends on whether or not he keeps up his testimony."

"What? Is this the retrial? You should have told me he was involved in the case," the sudden accusation was clear in her voice and Will didn't seem to like it.

"I only found out yesterday and I'm telling you now. Is it a problem for you?"

"I don't know. Had I known he was on this case I might have suggested not to take it, but we already have."

"We can't really avoid all criminal cases he's a part of. It's bad enough he doesn't want to testify for us, opposing him is even worse."

Diane respected Kurt's decision not to work for the firm again and never even crossed her mind to convince him to do so. Mixing personal feelings with work wasn't exactly wise, they rather played it safe, than be sorry later.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something to refute his testimony with."

"Can we count on your help?"

"My help? You want me to help you against Kurt?" she was startled to hear his suggestion, especially because he'd been the one insisting on her staying away from the case when Kurt had testified for the firm the last time.

"Yes, you should be on our side."

"I'm his fiancée."

"So what? It isn't personal."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather stay out of this."

"I'm not asking you to betray him, just help us ask the right questions."

This reminded Diane of the deposition where she'd questioned Kurt and managed to nullify his testimony in a few minutes. Will must have remembered it too, that's why he insisted on her helping him. But it wasn't something she was proud of and she definitely didn't want to do it again. Of course she couldn't stop Will from doing the same, in fact it was his duty to do so.

"I need to think about this."

"Sure, just don't take too long, trial starts in less than two weeks."

"I know."

There must have been something about the way she said this, because Will was looking at her rather questioningly.

"Have you already talked about the case with Kurt?"

"I had no idea it's the same case and he didn't share too much about it anyway."

"I wish he had."

"Stop it, please."

This was exactly why she wished to avoid such situations, she wanted her private life to be her own and not anyone else's business. And no matter how much she liked Will, she didn't appreciate an intrusion like that, even if it might have been meant as a simple joke.

"I'm sorry, I know we should have discovered his name in the files earlier," he retreated sensing he might have crossed a line.

"I'm really just trying to avoid unnecessary tension. It's not like he's the only ballistics expert around."

"Maybe he won't even keep up his testimony, we both know how he needs to believe in the case. He just has to be convinced the client might be innocent."

"Have I mentioned I want to stay out of this?"

"I guess it all comes down to whether or not the ASA keeps him as his witness. There's a chance they might get scared using an expert witness, who's engaged to the partner of the firm representing the defendant."

"But it's best to go with the same expert, since they had a guilty verdict at the first trial, also it's cheaper and they are on a budget."

"I know, so that is when your knowledge about Kurt comes in."

"I said I'll think about it."

"All right."

"Now how should I invite you and your girlfriend to Thanksgiving in the middle of all this?"

"You want to invite us to Thanksgiving?"

"That was the plan. My first Thanksgiving as a housewife, I wanted Katherine and you to be there too."

"That's sweet, I'd love to say yes."

"I'm afraid this isn't going to be pretty."

"Why? It's just a trial, it's work, nothing personal."

"I know, I just need to get used to having a private life to balance it with."

"Just don't stress over it too much, it's not worth it."

"I know. It's just a case."

When Will was gone her first thought was to call Kurt but he succeeded her.

"Hey,"

"Hey, I've just got off the phone with the State's Attorney's Office…"

"And you found out Lockhart/Gardner has taken over the Thomson-case."

"Yep."

"Will just told me you're the expert witness, we had no idea. The file was reviewed by an associate, she must have missed your name."

"I see. Will it be a problem?"

"I don't know, I haven't had the chance to think it through properly yet."

"We are just doing or jobs," he reminded her and his confidence made her feel a little less worried.

"Yes and I'm not even on the case."

"So you won't question me on the stand? Too bad," he chuckled.

"Don't tell me you'd want that," she started laughing at the absurdity of his wish.

"I wouldn't complain," he replied playfully.

"Well I can't share the firm's strategy, sorry," she closed the subject quickly.

"It's okay. So no more mention of the case, right?"

"We shouldn't take our work home."

"Agreed. What time do you want dinner tonight?"

"Seven?"

"Perfect. See you at home."

She leaned back in her chair, smiling, thinking about how lucky she was to have such an understanding, sweet man in her life who managed to make her feel better with just a few words. She couldn't wait to see him tonight.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"Something smells really good," Diane entered the kitchen and saw Kurt at the stove wearing an apron over his usual jeans and shirt combination.

"Hey, you're early."

"I don't think I ever heard that sentence from you," she chuckled.

"I meant dinner is not ready yet."

"I know. Do you need help?"

"You want to help?"

"I was supposed to be cooking dinner for you tonight anyway."

"Okay, then grab an apron, because we wouldn't want that fancy dress ruined."

"Definitely not," Diane put on the red apron over her black and white dress and stepped closer to Kurt, "Hello," she said with a smile and leaned in for a kiss.

"Would you stir this for me while I do some chopping?" Kurt handed her the wooden spoon.

"You don't trust me with a knife?" she chuckled as she took his place next to the stove.

"I just want to do the heavy lifting."

"You're so nice," she kissed him on the cheek before he stepped away, "How was your day?"

"I shouldn't have tried to make up for two weeks in one day," she barely heard him complain, so she knew right away what he tried to hide behind the line.

"You could use this weekend, right?"

"I could, but I also want to spend it with you."

"How about a compromise? We can do what I planned on Sunday, that leaves you with one more day to work."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered it otherwise. I can call Katherine and tell her we can do some wedding planning while you're experimenting or whatever is it you have to do."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. You've done this for me countless times."

"I just want you to know I really appreciate it."

"It was selfish of me what I said this morning, how you should postpone work. And I'm not saying it because of how things turned out."

"It's fine, you shouldn't worry about it. I understand."

"I just really don't want work to be a problem between us, in any way."

"We won't let it," his warm, confident smile managed to take away her worries and she slowly returned it, "How is the meat?" he reminded her of their cooking process.

"It looks good to me."

Kurt stepped closer and threw the vegetables he'd just cut up into the pan.

"I can manage from here. Maybe you could set the table."

"All right," Diane took the plates and cutlery to the dining room through the side door and arranged them on the table. Kurt soon arrived with the food and they sat down to eat.

"You're still okay with the Thanksgiving dinner, right? That I've invited Will too, I mean."

"Of course. Just because we're on the opposite sides of a case, it doesn't mean we can't have a friendly dinner. We'll have a bunch of witnesses to prove that the case wasn't even mentioned if necessary," he added jokingly.

"And how come they aren't worried about me influencing your testimony?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Because you can't, but nice try," he replied chuckling, closing the topic which she didn't mind.

"I forgot to say that the dinner is delicious."

"Thank you. Leave some room for the dessert."

"We're talking about real dessert, right? Like cake?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"When did you have time to make that?"

"I bought it," he admitted without hesitation and it made her smile.

"So if I meet with Katherine tomorrow, she might want to know how we imagine the wedding. Have you thought about what you want?"

It was really time for them to talk about the details which they had avoided so far.

"Besides marrying you? I guess not wearing a tux is not an option, right?"

"Not really, I'm sorry."

"That's fine, I'll be waiting for the moment when you take it off me."

"One thing doesn't need any planning, the wedding night."

"Except for the location."

"I think I know the perfect place," Diane said with a shy smile and Kurt looked at her as if he was trying to read her mind.

"You do? Where is it?"

"Somewhere here in Chicago."

"Any other hints?"

"It's a memorable place for us."

It took him a few seconds to understand the meaning behind her answers and the smile she had on her lips, but she saw how his face lit up when he did after all.

"I might have a guess."

"What is it?"

Kurt leaned over and whispered the name of the place in her ear, then pulled back and her smile gave away that he was obviously right.

"I'll make a reservation," he nodded in agreement.

"And how about a honeymoon?" Diane decided to bring up the subject that had kept her thoughts busy from time to time during the last days.

"You want to go on a honeymoon?" he obviously sounded surprised.

"I think we might want to go on a honeymoon together," she corrected him playfully.

"Are you serious?"

"Why? You don't want to go?" she teased, not blaming him for not believing her on the first place.

"You and me together far away from here, nothing would make me happier," he seemed excited already.

"Then it's a deal, we're going on a honeymoon."

"I want to kiss you so much right now."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"I thought you wanted an actual dessert after dinner," he chuckled, still hesitating to follow his desire.

"But I want you so much more," she confessed without moving closer to him.

"How about the wedding plans?"

"I thought you had nothing more to say on that subject," she reminded him.

"You're right, as long as it ends with you and me in that hotel room it will be perfect."

"It cannot end any other way," she promised before he finally leaned in to kiss her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Diane hadn't had the chance to call Katherine in the evening after all, but she was hoping her friend wouldn't mind a surprise visit on a Saturday morning, she made sure to bring coffee though to help convince her to let her in if necessary.

"What are you doing here?" despite the nature of the question Katherine seemed pleasantly surprised to see Diane.

"I thought I bring you coffee," Diane smiled and handed over one cup to her friend, "It's your favorite."

"Thank you, come on in."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Diane looked around, trying to guess what Katherine had been up to before she arrived.

"I was planning to start cooking, but otherwise I'm all yours. Dylan is still sleeping I guess, haven't seen her yet this morning and Adam had a nightshift, he will only be back home later."

"Perfect."

"Have you had breakfast already?"

"Yes."

"Right, your cowboy makes you eat properly," Katherine chuckled, she'd kept preaching to Diane about the importance of a breakfast since forever, but Diane chose to never listen.

"He does and it's kind of sweet. I can't really say no to him," she admitted what Katherine probably knew anyway.

"I don't blame you. How about some chocolate chip cookies?" she put a bowl of them in front of Diane.

"Talking about things I can't say no to," Diane took a cookie.

"So I guess if you had breakfast together, everything's fine with you two," Katherine said, obviously trying to guess the nature of Diane's unannounced visit.

"Of course. I dropped him off at his lab and came over to see you."

"So he needs to work today and you have nothing to do?"

"I could surely find something to do, but I thought we might want to start discussing those wedding plans today," Diane finally revealed her intentions to her friend's astonishment.

"The dress has apparently done its magic," Katherine's happy smile couldn't have been wider.

"Looks like it."

"All right. Does the groom have any say in this?" she immediately got into her work mode, excitement all over her face and reached for a notepad and a pen.

"He doesn't really care about the details."

"But we need his guest list."

"Of course."

"So let's start with the place for the ceremony."

Diane had figured out a few details already and she was happy to finally share it with her.

"I want the ceremony to be intimate with just the family and some close friends and then we can have a party some place else for everyone else to attend and celebrate with us."

'Sounds good to me, where should this intimate ceremony take place?"

"In our garden."

"Awww, I should have guessed that. Perfection. Kurt will love it so much."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. So I'll take care of arranging the garden for the ceremony. How about the party?"

"Well we have a certain hotel in mind for the wedding night."

"You do?"

"Yes, I'm sure they have rooms for such events."

"Certainly. Hey, do you even need me here?"

"Of course I do. Everything lies in the details."

"Like food."

"And the cake."

"Now the cake will have to be a surprise. I planned your wedding cake years ago, you're going to love it, I promise."

"You've already planned my wedding cake?"

"Yes, it will be the most delicious cake you've ever tasted."

"Too bad I cannot try a sample."

"Have another cookie."

"I think one was enough, thank you."

"Any special wishes for the food? I know nothing toxic, it goes without saying," Katherine tried to prevent the teasing, but Diane was too focused on the big day now to make any such attempt.

"I trust you on that one completely. I won't be able to eat a bite anyway."

"I couldn't eat on my wedding either, I was so nervous. Of course I was too young."

"And I am probably too old for this, won't we look rather ridiculous?"

"In that dress, with Kurt on your side, you'll look perfect."

o-o-o

Diane typed in the code and opened the door finding Kurt sitting at his microscope.

"Surprise," she smiled and entered, closing the door behind her, "I've brought you lunch," she put the box on the table, "Katherine made lasagna."

"I'm starving," Kurt stood up and walked over to Diane for a kiss then reached for the box.

"It's delicious, I've already eaten, just in case you're wondering."

"Good, now it's my turn."

She handed him a plastic fork and he sat back on the chair and started eating. Diane looked around. The lab was arranged the exact same way it had been on his farm. The first memory that came to her mind was the first experiment he'd shown her, when they had been kind of flirting with each other throughout the whole thing. Who would have thought some harmless flirting could result in a lifelong commitment a few months later? Then she thought of the weekend when they were hiding from Lara in that lab and made love in secret. They'd created so many memories in such a short time.

"So how did it go with the planning?" Kurt broke the silence and brought Diane back to reality.

"It's done."

"Done? In such a short time?"

"Sometimes things just fall into place, which proves that we are doing the right thing."

"I never doubted it for a second that we are."

"Now all we have to decide is where to go on a honeymoon and we'll be all set. Katherine takes care of everything else."

"Where do you want to go?"

"It should be far away and warm."

"That's all?"

"Yes, so take your pick."

"Then let's make it a surprise I arrange for us as a thank you for leaving me out of the planning."

"Sounds good to me."

"This was delicious, please thank Katherine for me."

"I will. You'll call me when I should come and pick you up, right?"

"Yes, I only need a few more hours, I promise."

"Just take your time," she turned around and reached for the doorknob when she heard Kurt's voice.

"Wait."

"Yes?" she turned back.

"This was just so sweet of you, to bring me lunch."

"My pleasure," she smiled then he walked over to her and their lips united in a kiss.

"Thank you."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The sound of the alarm was unusual for a Sunday morning, but it was a necessary reminder, otherwise they might have slept through most part of the day. Even Kurt who was usually up very early was just opening his eyes along with Diane.

"Ready for an adventure?" she smiled at the sight of his sleepy face.

"Only if I get coffee first," he yawned and pulled the cover up to his face.

"I'll go and get you some," she chuckled and placed a kiss on the blanket over him.

She went down to the kitchen to make coffee and pack food for the day. Katherine had contributed too and Diane had spent the previous afternoon making sure they would have something to eat all day. She looked out the window after she put the coffee machine into work and smiled at the sight of a sunny November day, just what they needed for a partly outdoor adventure.

While she was dealing with the food, she heard his footsteps on the stairs and he joined her in the kitchen.

"I would have brought it up for you," she smiled, seeing how tired he was.

He must have overworked himself the previous day so they could get today off and she almost regretted waking him up at all. She should have let him sleep all day, he clearly needed it.

"Coffee will help," he smiled and looked at the boxes on the counter, "Where are we going exactly?"

"I can't tell you yet, but I promise it will be fun."

"Okay," he nodded and took his mug out of the cupboard to pour from the fresh coffee, "Just please make sure you pack the rest of the coffee too."

"That goes without saying," she chuckled and continued the packing until she felt a pair of arms on her waist and a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning," he pressed his body against her back and they stayed that way for a few seconds until he let her go again, "What should I put on?"

"I've chosen your outfit, it's on the chair in the closet."

"You've thought of everything."

"Yes, I have, I want this day to be perfect."

"It already is."

o-o-o

Kurt was pleasantly surprised when Diane drove them to the farm that didn't belong to him anymore, but the current owner was willing to lend them the horses, which were part of her plan. Kurt couldn't have been happier to be sitting on a horse again and they rode out together to the small house nearby that they had visited quite a few times in the past.

"I know you like fishing a lot more, but this is as good as it gets this time of the year," Diane said as she was opening the boxes and putting them on the table around lunchtime.

"Are you kidding me? This is just what I needed today," the signs of tiredness seemed to have disappeared from his face and he was absolutely glowing.

"Good, we can take another ride after lunch if you want."

"Perfect."

They sat down to eat and enjoyed their food in the quiet surrounding without words for a while.

"Do you regret selling the farm?" this question had been on her mind for a long time and it probably was the best moment to ask now.

"No, it was too much work anyway, but I do miss it sometimes."

"We could come out here more often, if you want."

"I'd love that."

"I really don't want you to feel you've given up too much for me."

"Where is all this coming from now?"

"Must be the horses," she smiled.

"We can go horseback riding anytime we want, I don't have to actually own a stable for that. I'm happy in our new home, because it's ours, because you are there and that is all I need."

Diane often thought about how they had both been happy on their own, successful in their careers and hadn't felt like they'd needed anyone in their lives until they had met each other. And by now they had gotten so used to the other's presence that they weren't able to imagine going back anymore.

She leaned in to kiss him instead of forming any words as a reply, because those were unnecessary. She loved this man more than she'd ever loved any men in her life and being with him, even in a small house in the middle of nowhere was all she needed to be happy.

He didn't let her move away, in fact she soon felt his hands on her waist pulling her closer until she decided to obey and ended in his lap with her arms around his neck.

"We're supposed to be having lunch," she chuckled as they broke the kiss.

"You want to tell me this wasn't included in the program?" he teased with a wide grin.

"No, I just thought we might want to finish lunch first."

"Okay," he nodded after a few seconds, ready to accept her terms and even though she didn't want to leave his lap at all she started moving away only to be pulled back again, "I changed my mind, lunch can wait," he said searching her eyes for an understanding and she didn't hesitate long before she pressed her lips to his again.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Have you decided whether or not to help us with the case?" Will didn't hesitate too long Monday morning to remind Diane that she'd wanted to think about her participation in the trial involving Kurt.

"To destroy my fiancé's testimony?" she asked trying to imply one last time that it actually sounded so wrong.

"Yes," Will nodded, so Diane knew he really meant it, but she had no real options here, she'd already made her choice when she'd proposed to Kurt three months ago.

"I can't do it, he'd know it came from me, I can't risk what we have for a stupid case," she was honest and she really wanted Will to understand. It was a case versus her life and she only had one real choice.

"Okay," he nodded and even though she saw that she'd crashed his hopes, she hoped he didn't really blame her.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own, you don't need me."

"I always need you."

"Thank you for understanding," she smiled at him, appreciating his confession.

"Sure. So does the Thanksgiving invite still stand?" Will changed the subject quickly.

"You want to come?"

"Yes, we'd like to come."

"Of course it does, but you promise not to bring up the case, right?"

"I promise."

"And as for the trial, please don't be too hard on him."

"He's their best witness if we discredit him we have a better chance at winning. There's only circumstantial evidence."

"I don't need to know any details," she reminded him.

"But you need to be on our side. He's just a ballistics expert testifying for the prosecution, you'd normally want to tear those apart."

"I prefer him in one piece," she chuckled, making Will smile as well.

"Fair enough. Do you know if he has examined the evidence again?"

"Nice try."

Will gave up with a sigh and Diane felt relieved that the weight of this case was finally off her shoulders.

o-o-o

"How did your little excursion go?" Katherine called Diane before lunch to inquire about their previous day.

"Very well, he loved it," Diane was still under the influence of the perfect day they'd spent together with Kurt after almost two weeks of separation.

"And the Thanksgiving dinner is still on, right?"

"If you help me with the turkey."

"I still find it amusing that you never made a Turkey before," Katherine chuckled, but Diane didn't really mind the teasing.

"What would I have done with a whole Turkey alone? Besides I had a constant invitation to your Thanksgivings, so I was never without turkey."

"I love that I can be there when you start your own tradition with Kurt, he'll surely appreciate all this."

"He does, he enjoys turning me into a housewife," Diane was beginning to get used to this yet unfamiliar word already. She loved doing things that made him happy and tied the bond between them even stronger.

"And I enjoy helping him."

"We'd better make this the most memorable Thanksgiving dinner ever," she was determined to show Kurt, Katherine and all the guests that she was proud of the new role in her life.

"You can count on that."

o-o-o

"I know we agreed not to talk about the case, but I thought it's only fair if I tell you I'm going to testify."

Diane appreciated that Kurt waited until after dinner with this topic, but she wished the stupid case was over already, so she didn't have to hear about it at home as well. She obviously had no intention of stopping Kurt from testifying though, it was his decision alone.

"I see, thank you for telling me. Will tried to talk me into helping him, but I turned him down. I don't want to pick sides here, let's just get this trial over with and move on."

"That's my wish too."

Kurt's smile alone had the power to convince Diane that everything would be all right, so she decided to get her mind off the case completely and concentrate on more cheerful topics, like the visit of Kurt's daughter which she was looking forward to very much.

"When is Lara arriving?"

"Thursday, around noon."

"Good, she can help Katherine and me with the cooking if she wants."

"I'm sure she'd love that."

"And what will you do all day?"

"I thought I can work while you ladies do the cooking."

"Still got things to catch up on?"

"A lot."

"All right, but you need to make this weekend free, for you daughter and for me."

"Deal."

"I'm thinking we could take a trip to New York, Lara would surely enjoy that."

She didn't feel the need to spoil Kurt's daughter or buy her affection in any way, because she had given it to Diane voluntarily from the very first day, but she still wanted to do something nice for her. And even though Kurt wasn't a fan of cities in general, Diane knew he would never have said no to accompany them there.

"Now that's an idea, she'll be ecstatic when she hears it."

"Please don't tell her, I want it to be a surprise."

"You're getting better at this mothering thing," Kurt smiled at her proudly.

"Do I? Well I need to practice for the big family reunion at Christmas."

Diane was already thinking about their visit to Kurt's family, even though it was more than a month away. She had no idea when was the last time she had been around small children, but she was sure Kurt's sisters would have been more of a challenge to handle than them.

"The kids are going to love you, all you need to do is bring them tons of presents."

"I'm sure we can manage that. We should start shopping in New York this weekend."

"First let's get through this Thanksgiving dinner, one step at a time."

"You are right and only first times are hard, by next year we'll already have practice."

"Yes we will."

They were creating traditions now to build their future life on and the reassurance that they would have been together one year from now made her feel safe. No matter how many family visits she had to get through, they were all worth it. His family would soon become her family and while having a family was new to her, she was sure getting used to them wouldn't be that hard, especially if she started by turning the children on her side.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Diane and Katherine spent most of the day in Diane's kitchen, making so much food that would have been enough to feed a whole army. Lara joined them soon after she'd arrived and they barely left the room until Kurt and the guests showed up. Diane's aunt, who she obviously had to invite and Will with his mysterious girlfriend, who Diane had been looking forward to meeting. With Adam and Dylan the rather small dinner company sat around the table with Diane on one end and Kurt on the other and after giving thanks Kurt carved their first turkey.

As expected it was Diane's aunt leading the conversation most of the time, which Diane didn't mind for once, because the lady asked all the questions from Will's Melanie that she probably wouldn't have asked herself even though she was curious about the answers. The thirty something woman was a concert pianist constantly touring the country. She apparently had no intention of entering her father's business someday, which Diane found admirable. She was very friendly and easy to talk to, so there was absolutely no reason for Diane not to like her.

Diane made eye contact with Kurt during dinner several times. It was almost impossible for them to communicate with each other and she blamed Katherine for insisting on this seating. But Diane could see that Kurt was having fun, just like her, enjoying the company of his daughter and chatting with Adam. She also tried to pay attention to the possible tension between Kurt and Will, but she didn't notice anything.

The dinner went down smoothly, the guests ate part of the food and Diane insisted that they took some home as well. Diane's aunt left first, which only made the rest of the conversation more enjoyable without the old lady's sarcastic remarks. Diane and Katherine took care of the dirty dishes together and they concluded that Diane and Kurt's first Thanksgiving together couldn't have turned out better.

When everyone was gone Diane left Lara and Kurt alone in the living room to take a shower and go to sleep. She was too tired to stay up on her feet any longer. She only needed a few minutes to fall asleep after such an exhausting day.

o-o-o

The next morning Diane found Lara and Kurt right where she'd left them the previous night. They were watching TV, sitting side by side on the couch.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Kurt greeted her with a smile and walked up to her for a kiss, "Come, we've made coffee."

Once they were alone in the kitchen Kurt filled her mug with coffee, sugar and cream and she leaned against the counter, sipping the drink.

"I feel like we haven't talked for a whole day," he said.

"Because we really haven't," she chuckled, "I'm sorry I fell asleep so soon last night."

"There's no need to apologize, you've pulled off a fantastic dinner yesterday."

It felt good to hear his praise, she had been too busy and nervous the previous night to really enjoy the result of her hard work, but looking back on the whole evening she felt proud. But she definitely owed Katherine a huge thank you and a present from New York for all her help.

"I'm happy everything turned out so well," she smiled at Kurt still drinking the coffee he'd made for her.

"It did."

"I hope Will kept his promise and didn't mention the case."

"He didn't."

"Good, I was hoping he'd keep his word. I like his girlfriend by the way, they seem happy, don't they?"

"Definitely."

She didn't remember the last time she'd seen Will happy with a woman and she wished for this happiness to last long for him, because he truly deserved it.

"And how is Lara?"

"She had fun last night. Are we sharing the news with her about the trip?"

"You haven't told her yet?"

"No, I wanted to wait so we can tell her together. It was your idea after all."

"That's sweet, thank you. We should tell her right now, so she can plan what she wants to see."

"Have I thanked you already, for doing this?"

"Doing what? This trip is for me as well, I need to refresh my wardrobe."

"And what am I going to do while you two are shopping?"

"You'll come with us, obviously. We'll need our body guard, also someone to carry our shopping bags."

"That is an honorable task."

"You bet."

"All right, I won't let you two out of my sight."

"That's what I wanted to hear. We need to buy a few things for you as well."

"For me? Don't I have enough clothes already?"

"But most of them are from the previous century."

"Are you mocking my clothes?"

"When was the last time you bought a new piece?"

"I bought new boots last winter."

"You clearly needed a woman in your life."

"That I might agree on."

They ended their playful teasing with a mutual smile and she was already looking forward to their shopping trip. She imagined how much fun it would be for her and Lara to shop together and try to dress their favorite cowboy into something other than jeans and checkered shirts for a change.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Special thanks to Kiki for certain ideas in this chapter 3**_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"I can't believe I'm really here. This place looks exactly like in the movies."

Lara's excitement hadn't reduced throughout their whole first day in New York City, it was still visible in her voice and on her face as she grabbed the menu at Sardi's.

They had planned the whole day based on Lara's wishes. It included the view from the deck of Empire State Building, a ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and a walk in Central Park.

"I kept telling Diane that buying your affection this way won't work, looks like I was wrong," Kurt said jokingly and both Diane and Lara ended up chuckling, humoring him.

"This is a historical restaurant, the birthplace of the Tony Award, show some respect," Diane disciplined him playfully with a smile.

"I've noticed those caricatures are watching our every move," Kurt gestured mockingly towards the wall.

"You were such a gentleman in the theatre," Diane rolled her eyes hearing his tone.

"Yeah dad, you were glued to the stage. I had no idea you enjoy musicals so much."

"I bet all the pretty young ladies dancing had something to do with that," Diane threw in some fake jealousy which made Kurt slightly blush, indicating that her observations weren't too far from the truth.

"I was only watching from the ballistics' point of view," he protested vehemently, but Diane just couldn't let it go, because it rarely happened that she was able to accuse him of something like that.

"Are you sure? So how come you didn't run out screaming during _We Both Reached For The Gun_?"

"Were you observing me all the time or did you pay attention to the show too?" Kurt started to get back his cool.

"Women can multitask you know" Diane smiled before she hid behind her menu, but a few seconds later she peaked out to meet Kurt's eyes and share a smile with him. He reached out to grab her hand and squeezed it gently with affection, before he turned his attention back to his daughter, without letting go of Diane's hand.

"So what are you having?"

o-o-o

"How do I look?"

The smile on Lara's face gave away that the floor length light purple dress was very much to her liking and as Diane looked from the girl to her father she could see the admiration in his eyes as well.

"It's perfect," she replied on behalf of both of them.

"Yes, you look beautiful," Kurt said proudly, looking his daughter up and down.

He'd been surprisingly patient during their visit in Saks, even helped them pick from the numerous pieces of clothing. One look at his face told Diane each time if the said outfit was a winner or a loser. Maybe he hoped that the longer it took for his ladies to finish their shopping the less time would remain for them to drag him do the same. Apart from the tux for their wedding Diane had no intention of forcing him into clothes he wouldn't feel comfortable in, but she understood his aversion towards shopping nevertheless.

"But it costs a fortune," the joy quickly disappeared from Lara's face as she looked at her dad.

"Wow," Kurt gasped as he checked the price tag, "They sure know how to make money here."

"I know it's too much," Lara said understandingly, but Diane couldn't miss the light in her eyes as she turned back to the mirror, she obviously fell in love with the dress.

"We can afford it," Diane stepped next to Kurt who was still resting his eyes on his pretty daughter, "She's very happy with it."

"I don't want to spoil her."

"Her father is marrying someone other than her mother, I think it's the least you can do to make that day a little better for her."

"What are you talking about? She loves you."

"I know, but I am not her mother and will never be."

He put an arm on her back and pulled her to his side, placing a light kiss on her hair. Lara turned around and smiled at them.

"What were you two talking about behind my back? I could see you in the mirror you know."

"Diane and I decided that you can keep this dress," Kurt announced and Lara almost jumped into his arms to thank him and hugged Diane too, whispering a silent thank you into her ear which Diane appreciated more than anything.

"Now that we're all set, it's your turn," Diane told Kurt while they were waiting for Lara to change.

"Isn't it lunchtime yet?" he checked his watch, in an attempt to postpone the painful shopping.

"Nope," Diane chuckled, "But if you promise to behave we'll take you to a place for lunch that you'll love."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise," she smiled at him mysteriously.

"You really want to buy clothes for me, don't you?"

"I do, but it won't really be painful, don't worry."

"We need to buy a new suitcase for all these," he looked at the pile of outfits next to them.

"That's the spirit," Diane kissed his cheek thanking him for his effort, not minding that she might have to do something for him in return, because that was the way any relationship worked.

o-o-o

The lunch at Wolfgang's Steakhouse did the trick and Kurt was more than willing to accompany them for another round of shopping in the afternoon. They purchased a couple of age appropriate toys and books for Lara's cousins for Christmas and ended up buying their wedding bands too, to make this day even more memorable.

By the time they reached the airport the number of their suitcases doubled and they waved goodbye to the Big Apple in the most cheerful mood. During the flight Lara started reading one of the new books she'd bought for herself, while Diane was just resting her head on Kurt's shoulder, enjoying the end of an eventful weekend.

"This trip might have cost us a fortune, but it was worth it," she heard Kurt say and she lifted her palm to gently stroke his cheek.

"Just imagine that you won't have to do any clothes shopping for a few months."

"Months? I was hoping for years," Kurt chuckled, making her laugh as well.

"We need to come back in the spring to shop for the honeymoon. You promised to take me somewhere warm and most of my clothes are for the Chicago climate."

"You do know you can buy anything you want at home too, right?"

"I do, but shopping in New York is much more fun and classy."

"You know I'm willing to do anything to make you happy," he looked into her eyes smiling.

"I know and I love you for it and for a thousand other reasons."

He replied with a light kiss on her lips and she smiled at him before she closed her eyes.

"I think I'll take a short nap, these two days have been more than exhausting."

"Good idea, I'll wake you up before we land."

"Thank you."

She buried her face into his shirt, breathing in his agreeable scent and it didn't take her longer than a few minutes to fall asleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Diane was sitting in the gallery of the courtroom, listening to her fiancé giving his testimony for the prosecution. She had told both Kurt and Will that she would have been there, she wanted to witness this testimony with her own eyes and ears, without interfering with the case any further.

On the stand Kurt established that the gun submitted to evidence was the murder weapon and explained why the accused caught fleeing the crime scene on a surveillance camera was the one who committed the murder. Diane wasn't aware of the facts of the case, since she'd decided to stay away, so she hadn't even looked in the file, but Kurt's testimony was convincing as usual. All he needed was to believe in the case whether he testified for the prosecution or the defense, depending on which side was right according to his findings. And as much as Diane wanted to root for her own team, she found herself drawn to Kurt's side and slightly hoped the jury felt that way too.

ASA Pine walked back to her seat and Will stood up to start his line of questions.

"Mr. McVeigh, is it true that you hesitated to testify for the retrial?"

Diane's eyes widened at once, Will's first question was surprising to say the least. Diane hadn't counted with such an irrelevant one right at the start and wondered why the ASA didn't object right away. She started to think back if she'd ever mentioned something like that to Will, but she couldn't remember.

"No," Kurt answered firmly.

"Isn't it? I thought you only accepted to testify about a week ago."

Will was obviously putting up an act for the jury and Diane found herself wishing they'd see through it and started observing the members on her left side as she listened to Kurt's reply.

"I had been out of town on a training."

"For how long?"

"Objection," ASA Pine finally rose from her seat, "What does all this have to do with the case? Relevance?"

Diane felt strange agreeing with the objection of the opposing side and she anxiously waited for Judge Morris's ruling.

"Your Honor, we'd like the jury to know how little time Mr. McVeigh spent with reexamining the evidence for this case."

Diane felt the anger rise inside her hearing Will's accusation. Did he really think he can undermine Kurt's testimony with such a ridiculous argument?

"I'll allow. The witness may answer."

Diane couldn't believe her ears and she turned her head back from the judge to Kurt to see his reaction, but he showed no signs of agitation, just accepted the decision peacefully.

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks? And after you came back how much time did you spend with reexamining the evidence?"

"I can't speak accurately to that."

"How many ongoing cases are you working on right now?"

"About ten."

"Ten? So is it all right to say two weeks away have set you back with your work?"

"A little, but I've been able to catch up."

"Didn't you spend the last weekend in New York?"

"Objection. Relevance."

Diane heard the ASA say out loud what she was screaming inside her head, unable to hide her anger anymore. How dared Will use such a personal information in court?

"Mr. Gardner, I think the witness has been cooperative enough, let's not push it any further."

The judge finally stopped the line of questioning and Diane could only hope Will would cut back on the theatre and concentrate more on the facts of the case from now on.

"Yes, Your Honor, I'm sorry. Mr. McVeigh, how do we know that someone fired a gun?"

"There's gunshot residue on the hand."

"Was there gunshot residue on the defendant's hand?"

"No, only on his clothes."

"How is that possible?"

"He might have worn gloves."

"But no gloves were found on the crime scene, there was no gunshot residue on my client's hand and no fingerprints on the gun."

"Objection. Council is testifying."

ASA Pine interfered again, but before the judge could rule Will retreated.

"Withdrawn. I have nothing further, Your Honor."

As Will walked back to his seat Diane tried to catch his gaze, but it never met hers. She sighed deeply, whatever happened in the last few minutes it was finally over.

"Redirect, Your Honor," the ASA stepped closer to the stand.

"Mr. McVeigh, did any of these personal issues brought up by the defense attorney in any way affect your ability to give an accurate testimony in this case today?"

Diane couldn't applaud her more for the clever question.

"No."

"Thank you. I have nothing further."

Diane looked at Kurt as he was leaving the stand, from his face it was impossible to tell what he was thinking inside, but she was sure he wasn't happy. She thought of going after him right away, but decided against it. Just like she needed time to deal with how Will treated her fiancé on the stand, Kurt probably needed time to process it as well and she decided to give it to him and wait for him to contact her first.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

The house was empty when Diane arrived home that night, which was rather unusual when Kurt wasn't away. She'd hoped he would have been home, she wanted to talk to him, see how he felt after the testimony. Will had kind of made him seem unprofessional on the stand and she wasn't sure how he had taken it. It had been difficult to tell due to his poker face. It hadn't been the first time, but coming from someone he considered a friend must have been harder.

She'd thought about talking to Will when he'd come back from court in the late afternoon, but decided against it. She didn't like that he'd used information related to her private life to attack Kurt on the stand, but he had been doing his job. It had been similar when she had challenged Kurt in that deposition a few months ago, now she knew how it felt from the other side. Kurt hadn't taken it lightly back then even though he'd forgiven her rather easily. She was sure he wasn't angry with Will either, but she still wished to see he was all right with her own eyes and the fact that he still wasn't home wasn't the best sign. She didn't want to play the role of a worrisome wife already, who panicked because her 'husband' stayed out late, he was probably working anyway.

He only arrived by the time Diane was in bed, trying hard not to fall asleep but concentrate on the research she was doing for her case with some books and journals surrounding her. Even though she could have assigned this to any associate, she sometimes enjoyed doing it on her own, reminded her of the early years of her career and it kept her mind in shape. Sometimes with all the management issues at the firm she was so busy focusing on the business side of things that the lawyer side of her suffered. She needed to keep the balance, she was a lawyer first and the business woman could only come second.

"I'm sorry, I'm so late," Kurt's tried smile made it impossible for her to be angry with him, which she really wasn't, she was just happy to see him.

"Don't worry, I kept busy," she smiled and returned the gentle kiss he gave her.

He entered the bathroom and only came out after a shower, meanwhile Diane packed her work materials away, it was merely a tool now to keep her awake anyway, what she really wanted was to talk to him if he was up for it.

"Did you eat something?" she started with a regular question as he got into bed next to her.

"Yes, I bought a pizza on my way from the court house to the lab."

"Have you been there all this time?" she knew that he had been, she still felt like asking. She was worried about him, which was new to her, since usually it was all the way round. She worked late while he waited for her at home and he asked the question whether she'd eaten or not. She had no idea how their roles had changed all of a sudden, but she wanted to show that she was there for him just like he'd been there for her before.

"Yes, I still have a lot to do tomorrow, probably during the weekend too, I'm sorry," he looked exhausted, but she had no right to say that he should slow down, because he was just as stubborn as her.

"There's no need to apologize, I just don't want you to take what Will told you to heart, he didn't mean all that, he was just putting up a show for the jury."

Will's questions had made her angry in the courtroom, but she still felt like defending him, trading carefully to show she understood both sides.

"I know, but ironically he was right, I have too many ongoing cases and didn't spend too much time examining the evidence."

Obviously she was late with her advice, he had already taken those things to heart and she didn't like hearing that.

"I'm sure it was enough and now it's too late anyway. You've given your testimony, you should try to move on."

"I will," he nodded.

"I'm just really glad it's over, I prefer being on the same side with you," she smiled and he returned and gently caressed her cheek.

"Same here," he leaned in to kiss her and her lips opened up to him obediently, "I'm glad it wasn't you," he whispered.

"Wasn't me?" she was confused, probably due to his closeness and the desire he'd already aroused inside of her.

"The one who questioned me on the stand."

She ran her hand on the side of his face, thinking of what to reply to him, "I'm glad it wasn't me either," she said finally and pulled him closer for another kiss, "You are tired, we should get some sleep," she said silently and placed her head back on her pillow.

"Good night," he smiled and his eyes closed right away, "And thank you."

Diane didn't reply, she let him fall asleep next to her with a smile on her face.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"You won't believe what came in the mail today," Will stepped into Diane's office without knocking and from the look on his face she could see right away that he had good news.

"What is it?" she placed her glasses on the desk.

"Evidence that could exonerate Thomson's son. An enlarged snapshot of the surveillance video, which clearly shows he wasn't wearing gloves when the camera caught him. We have just been handed reasonable doubt."

"Who sent it?"

"There's no sender on the envelope."

Diane found it suspicious to say the least, but then the gloves made her remember the scene she'd witnessed in court.

"Do you think it might have been…?"

"Kurt? It crossed my mind."

She wasn't surprised that they were thinking the same thing.

"It's a risky move."

"But we know how he loves to believe in his cases, he probably wouldn't want our client to go to prison once again for something he didn't commit."

"Knowing him he must have told the ASA first."

"But she can't let his only suspect get away just like that."

"But if you bring it up on trial they will know it came from Kurt."

"He probably factored that in, they have to share all the evidence with us anyway. Too bad I cannot thank him."

"And I'm still not sure he did the right thing," Diane sighed.

"You have a good man there, make sure to keep him," Will said clearly overwhelmed by his victory as he walked out the door.

She knew she couldn't ask Kurt, there was a small chance it wasn't him after all, they couldn't be a hundred percent sure. But she wanted to know the truth, if he was really willing to risk his reputation for one innocent person. They were so different, she was ready to cross certain lines to help her clients, even if they were guilty, while all he pursued was the truth. It made Diane wonder how he could really love her the way she was.

o-o-o

It was Kurt who brought up the case again after the trial was over and the accused was free to go.

"Congrats on the Thomson-case," he threw in casually during a dinner they somehow managed to have together this evening.

"I had nothing to do with it, but I'll make sure to tell Will," she tried to read his face if it gave away anything about what she and Will had been suspecting.

"Turns out I was on the wrong side this time," he admitted and it sounded very much like a confession.

"Maybe, but we can never be sure," her skeptical side surfaced right away.

"It's hard to tell the innocent ones from the guilty ones, sometimes science doesn't give the right answers," he said in a resigned voice and it pained her to see him so disappointed.

"It was just one case, you have nine more to worry about, this one is closed."

"You are right," he acknowledged it with a smile.

She figured if she wanted to know if it had been him who'd sent them the evidence it was the right time to ask, but she decided against it. Not knowing the truth was probably better, she didn't want to get into an argument with him in case she was right. She wanted to accept him the way he was and sometimes closing her eyes on certain things was necessary for the sake of a well functioning relationship.

"It's the first time this week that we're able to dine together, I missed it," she admitted without accusing him of being the reason.

"Maybe we should establish the date nights even before we get married?" he asked chuckling.

"I wouldn't object to that."

"I'll remind you of this next time you have a big case that keeps you from coming home at a regular hour."

"I think I've learnt my lesson," she chuckled and welcomed the closeness of his lips that asked for a small kiss.

"You know date nights should end with the couple actually having sex," he said nonchalantly as he continued with his dinner.

"Really? Does this mean you wish to have sex tonight, Mr. McVeigh?" she teased with a wide grin.

"Only if it's all right with you, Miss Lockhart," he teased back.

"I have no objections," she leaned in for another, deeper kiss, forgetting the case and even the dinner on the table as her lips demanded more from his.

"What's with us not being able to sit through a meal together these days?" he distanced his lips from hers which she found very unpleasant.

"And who's fault is that?" she shifted the blame to him, he had been the one bringing up sex after all.

"I'll take the blame, right after I finish my dinner."

"Tease," she chuckled and leaned back in her seat, "So what are you waiting for? Eat!" she added, because he was still watching her.

He reached for the knife and the fork with a chuckle and they finished their meals silently, but Diane's mind was only focused on what would come afterwards.

* * *

**_A/N: Cases always give me a hard time and I couldn't figure out this one on my own either. Special thanks to Deelylah and Ladybug-Jojo for helping me out with it._ **

**_I'm going on a holiday next week, so I probably won't be able to post an update, but I'll be back a week later with the first Christmas chapter. Thank you for those who are still reading, there are 11 more chapters left for you to enjoy, before we say goodbye to this story.  
_**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"Nooo," Diane said in a whiny tone as she turned to her other side and covered her face with the blanket.

She refused to open her eyes, hoping the alarm would just shut up and she could go back to sleep. It was Christmas Day, why wasn't she allowed to sleep as long as she wanted on a holiday?

For a few seconds she thought her prayers were answered and she was close to falling asleep again when she felt him move next to her.

"We're going to miss the plane," he mumbled, sounding very sleepy.

They had spent the evening on Aunt Diane's annual Christmas party and it was barely 6 am and they hadn't had time to actually celebrate their first Christmas together.

"I wish," Diane whispered so there was a slight chance he wouldn't hear him.

"But we need to go," he sounded like he didn't want to either, which made Diane smile.

"I know," she forced her eyes open and turned to him, "Merry Christmas," she said softly and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Merry Christmas!"

o-o-o

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked as Diane stepped out of the bathroom.

"As ready as I could ever be," she replied.

They had arrived at the hotel in Winter Park only a half an hour ago and now they were about to take a cab to Kurt's sister's house to meet the rest of the family Diane hadn't been introduced to yet.

"I know it isn't easy for you, I just want you to know I really appreciate that you're here with me," Kurt folded his arms around her waist and Diane was sure he meant every word.

He hadn't even objected when Diane had suggested for them not to stay with the family and she loved him for that even more.

"Your family is my family or it will be soon."

"It won't be that bad, I promise you," he tried to encourage her with a smile.

"I do hope so," she replied, still a little unsure of what to expect. She had met Kurt's sisters before, but they hadn't exactly become friends during the day they had spent together.

"I'll be there next to you all afternoon, those few hours will run by and we'll be back here in no time," Kurt really tried to make it easy for her and she appreciated it.

"And then you can try to make up for dragging me down here on Christmas Day," she said playfully.

"I'll do my best."

"Do we have all the presents?" she looked over to the gift bags.

"Yep, the kids will love them, so they will love you."

"That was the plan, I just hope it will work."

"It will. They are just kids, it's sweet how you are so scared of them," he chuckled and she lightly smacked him with her fist.

"Six kids and I'm not scared, it's just something new to me."

"I know, but you've been doing fine with Lara."

"It's easy with her, she's an adult already."

"It's easier to please kids, you are nice to them and they'll eat from your palms."

"I can't even remember all their names anymore," Diane started to panic, but Kurt still found it amusing.

"Don't worry about that, just charm them with your smile. They will love how pretty you are and they all love their Uncle Kurt so they have no choice but to love you as well."

"Please don't tell me I'm going to be called Aunt Diane, not sure I'm ready for that."

The name reminded of her own aunt and she had the constant fear of turning into her someday, so she tried her best to avoid it.

"We'll tell them to call you Diane, all right?" Kurt wasn't chuckling anymore, he sounded serious now, sensing that she needed his support.

"Thank you, I just wish I wasn't so nervous."

"It's kind of adorable," he smiled and she took the compliment the same way, forgetting her worry for a short while.

"Don't flatter me," she teased, making him chuckle, but then a hint of panic spread all over her once more, "We're going to be late and your sister will blame me," she stepped away from him to get closer to the door.

"I will let no one blame you for anything," she heard him say behind her back and turned around to smile at him.

"I love having my own knight by my side 24/7."

"Isn't marriage grant?" he stepped closer to her again and put his arms around her.

"I should have considered it a long time ago."

"But I'm glad you haven't."

"That's selfish," she chuckled, finding his confession sweet.

"I don't care. I love being the one," he pulled her closer.

"And I love that you are the one, I couldn't have asked for a better knight," she replied leaning in for a kiss.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

Kurt's nieces and nephews couldn't have been happier to see their uncle and it already made Diane regret having had second thoughts about going there for Christmas. She'd only been thinking about her own feelings and fears and hadn't even considered the importance of family and the love between these people. She watched the happy reunion with a smile on her face and made a silent wow to repeat this visit soon.

"I'd like you to meet someone," Kurt made the necessary introduction, "She's my fiancée and her name is Diane."

"Hello," Diane waved rather nervously, shifting her eyes from one kid to the other and for a few silent seconds neither of them knew what to say, but then Kurt interfered.

"She's Melissa," he introduced the oldest girl, who wasn't exactly a kid anymore, "But everyone calls her Mel."

"Hi," Mel smiled at Diane.

"Alan is her brother," Kurt pointed at a boy who was a few years younger than his sister, "They are Helen's. Then we have Carrie, Fanny, Tom and Martin, Sarah's kids."

"It's nice to meet you all," Diane kept smiling and considering whether or not she should hug the kids or how to help this moment move forward when the youngest girl, Fanny, who was probably not older than four stepped closer to Diane.

"Hello," she said with the sweetest smile and Diane didn't hesitate much before she bent down to take the girl in her arms and lift her up, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Your dress is really pretty," Diane told the girl who just kept on smiling.

"Yours is too," she replied and placed her tiny hand on Diane's necklace, "You are pretty."

"Thank you," Diane kissed the girl again then looked at the others standing around her, "Why don't you take the bags from Uncle Kurt? He told me he bumped into Santa on the way."

It didn't take long for them to find their own gifts inside and the moment of awkwardness was already gone.

"This is yours, sweetheart," Kurt handed Fanny her package.

"Thank you," the girl grabbed the big box.

"Let's see what's inside," Diane walked up to the couch where she sat down with the girl in her lap and helped Fanny open the box which contained a very pretty doll.

"She looks like you," Fanny said with a cute smile, holding up her present.

"Does she?" Diane asked chuckling and stroke Fanny hair gently. The content smile on her face warmed her heart and she glanced at Kurt to say a silent thank you for bringing her with him, this was exactly what she needed.

"I see you've made a new friend," Fanny's father, Tom, walked up to them.

"Her name is Diane, I'm going to name my new doll after you," Fanny said.

"I'm honored," Diane chuckled and shook hands with Sarah's husband, "Nice to meet you, Tom."

"Likewise, welcome to the family."

"Thank you, it's quite a family."

"It sure is."

"Fanny, darling, will you let Diane join us for a while?"

"Nope," Fanny hugged Diane.

"I'm sorry," Tom apologized on his daughter's behalf, "She probably misses Lara, she's her favorite cousin."

"Nothing to be sorry about, I don't get to be hugged by pretty little girls every day, I'm going to enjoy this as long as it lasts."

"Be careful what you wish for," Tom said with a slight chuckle.

o-o-o

The big family settled down to dinner and Fanny obviously insisted on sitting next to Diane. Fortunately Sarah didn't seem to mind that her daughter got along so well with her brother's fiancée right away.

"I'm sorry, I should have offered my help in the kitchen before dinner," Diane apologized to the McVeigh sisters.

"It's all right, you were busy getting to know the kids," Sarah replied smiling and Diane appreciated her understanding.

"How are the wedding preparations going?" Helen inquired curiously.

"Very well, thank you, we're sending out the invitations soon."

"Can we go too?" Mel got excited right away.

"Of course," Kurt answered on Diane's behalf.

"Will there be cake?" Fanny asked and caused everyone to chuckle.

"Of course there will be a cake, a huge one," Diane gazed down on the girl on her left.

"I love cake," Fanny stated the obvious and Diane stroked her hair gently.

"You'll get a big slice, I'll make sure of that."

"Only one?" Fanny said disappointed, making everyone laugh.

"There will be a lot of people you know and everyone wants to eat from the cake," Diane said patiently.

"But you said it will be big," Fanny insisted.

"You will get the biggest slice, I promise," Diane smiled at the girl who hesitated a little before she replied.

"Okay."

"I really wish you'd stay with us tonight, we have enough room," Helen changed the subject to one Diane had been sure would come up, but she looked at Kurt to handle this with his sister.

"I'm sorry, maybe next time," Kurt closed the topic quickly.

"How about breakfast tomorrow?" Sarah interfered.

Kurt looked at Diane who nodded in agreement and Diane appreciated that he asked for her consent.

"We'll be here."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

They were both a little tipsy thanks to the alcohol that had been served in the Graham house when the taxi dropped them off in front of the hotel. It was rather late, since Diane had been unable to leave Fanny's bedside until the girl had fallen asleep. She hadn't read so many bedtime stories for the last ten years, ever since Dylan had been old enough to read on her own.

"It's safe to say you were a success among the kids and you seem to have enticed Lara's favorite cousin," Kurt said proudly.

"I did no such thing, she's chosen me," Diane defended herself playfully, unable to hide how happy it made her that the little girl hadn't wanted to leave her side while they had been there which had also made this family visit actually fun. Talking to Fanny hadn't felt like an obligation at all and her presence had made it a lot easier for Diane to communicate with the grown-up members of the family, who had seemed to have accepted her as Kurt's future wife.

"Next time we come with Lara, Fanny will have to choose between the two of you."

"She might not even remember me next time."

"Trust me she will."

"She's adorable," she smiled thinking back on the girl with those large brown eyes and long curly brown hair.

"Oh yes, she is. She's basically everyone's favorite, she can achieve everything with a single smile."

"She had me there," she admitted.

"Of course you're no different than her on that field," Kurt shifted the focus from his niece to Diane and pulled her close to him by her waist and Diane put her arms around him at the same time.

"Aren't I?" she showed him her sweetest smile, the one he must have been talking about. "What should I set my mind to this time?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know, think of something."

"How about a kiss? You haven't kissed me since…"

The trick obviously worked and their lips only parted after a long kiss that left both of them breathless.

"Thank you for today," he said seriously and it showed in his eyes how much it meant for him that he could finally introduce her to his whole family

"I had fun, I'm sorry I whined about it. It was much better than I thought."

"I'm happy to hear that. So what do you say if I give you your Christmas present now?"

"What? I thought we agreed we'd postpone the gift giving until we get back tomorrow."

"I know, but I had to bring it with me, I wanted to surprise you," he stepped away to get a small box wrapped in red paper with a bow on top.

"It's is not fair, I wasn't able to bring your present with me, it doesn't exactly fit in a small box."

"It doesn't matter, you'll give it to me tomorrow, but I want to give this to you tonight."

"I don't like when people break their promises," Diane scolded him playfully, but was already curious about the content of the box.

"Could you just make an exception this time? Please?" he begged her with his eyes as well and concluded it with a smile as he placed the box in her palm.

"But only because you used your magical smile, you have one too, you know?"

"Do I?"

"Yes you do."

"Then open it."

"Okay," she finally gave in, removed the paper carefully and opened the box in which a bracelet was hiding. Made of white gold, it looked simple, but elegant and she fell in love with it at first sight.

"It's from Lara too, she helped me choose it."

"It's beautiful, thank you!" she said enthusiastically, admiring the wonderful piece of jewelry.

"You like it?"

"I love it," she lifted her gaze so he could see in her eyes what her lips already said, "But I won't wear it until I can give you your present. I still feel bad for not bringing it with me."

"Then tell me what it is."

"Nice try," she chuckled and placed a kiss on his lips, "Thank you," she smiled and put the box down to free her hands before she wrapped them around him again.

"I'd say our first Christmas together has been pretty fantastic so far," he stated as he pulled her closer once more.

"We should probably make sure it continues the same way," she suggested slipping her hands from his back to his neck.

"What do you have in mind?" he pretended to be clueless, but she was sure he didn't miss the signs.

"Maybe we could check out that bathroom together," she bit her button lip as she was trying to hold back a little longer.

"I like the idea," he agreed and as their lips united in an even more passionate kiss they already started undressing each other as they slowly stepped closer and closer to the bathroom


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N: I know I'm supposed to update Past Mistakes, but since it's someone's birthday, I went for the fluff instead. Happy Birthday, Nikki! 3**_

_**Thank you all for sticking to this story, the wedding is not too far away now ;)**_

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**Chapter Thirty-Two**

"Come on in," Katherine welcomed Diane and Kurt in her home cheerfully, with a glass of white wine in hand.

"Hi, hope we are not too early," Diane stepped inside first and Kurt followed her. They both greeted Katherine with a kiss on the cheek, took off their coats and walked towards the living room where Dylan and Adam were waiting.

"You're just in time, dinner is almost ready," they heard Katherine's voice from behind them.

After saying hi to everyone Diane took out an envelope from her purse and cleared her throat.

"We should start with the formalities, since you all know why we arranged this dinner on the first place," she said ceremoniously, "Kurt and I would like to invite you to our wedding, "she handed the invitation to Katherine who took it with a smile.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied and hugged her friend.

They had sent out most invitations by the mail, but there were a few Diane wanted to deliver personally, her best friend and wedding planner was obviously the first one on the list. It had been Katherine's idea to combine it with a dinner and despite Kurt's admirable cooing skills, Diane could never say no to such an irresistible offer.

"I'd also love you to be my matron of honor," Diane added.

"I thought you'd never ask," Katherine chuckled and hugged Diane once more, "It will be an honor," she accepted happily, "What would you like to drink?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Diane joked and everyone started laughing, "I'd love the same as you're having."

"Kurt?"

Kurt looked at Adam, who was holding a beer and it made the decision easy for him.

"A beer would be nice."

"Coming right up," Adam left to fetch one for him, while Katherine poured Diane a glass of wine from the bottle on the table.

"So there are only two months left until the big day, how are you handling it?" Katherine inquired as they all took a seat.

"We're not thinking about it too much, but we're looking forward to it, especially the honeymoon," Diane smiled at Kurt.

"I'm really curious about the destination," Katherine looked at Kurt as well.

"I'm sorry, but both of you have to wait until the wedding to find out," he looked from one woman to the other.

Diane already regretted leaving the honeymoon preparations to him, simply because she was dying to know what he was planning for them, but he wouldn't budge.

"If you need any help with anything I'm here," Katherine volunteered.

"Thank you, but Lara offered her help first.

"You have told Lara?" Diane faked a slight disappointment, even though there was something exciting about not knowing where they would go after the wedding. Including Lara in the planning was just another reassurance that Kurt wanted to make sure everything would turn out perfectly, which she never doubted, otherwise she would have wanted to be a part of it.

"She's helping out with a few ideas, that's all."

"When is she visiting next?" Katherine asked.

"Why, do you want to interrogate her?" Kurt chuckled.

"You shouldn't give me ideas," Katherine did the same.

"She's coming a week before the wedding and will stay with us until we leave for the honeymoon," Diane replied.

"Then she'll be here for the bachelorette party."

"A bachelorette party? Aren't I too old for that?" Diane would have gladly skipped that part of the tradition, but Katherine obviously thought differently.

"You say 'too old' one more time I'm gonna think of a punishment," Katherine warned her playfully.

"I don't like hearing that either," Kurt interfered.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side? I thought that is what marriage is about," Diane scolded him teasingly.

"I am on your side," Kurt reached for her free hand, lifted it to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

"He is perfect," Diane said silently in Katherine's direction, but Kurt was obviously able to hear it too.

"I'm sitting right here," he replied.

"I know," Diane turned to him and ran the same hand he'd just kissed on his cheek, "So who's arranging the bachelor party for my fiancé?" she looked at Adam, who was the only guy in the room.

"You can count on me," Adam volunteered right away.

"I'll ask Will to help you, but you two have to promise to deliver him home in one piece."

"That won't be a problem," Adam promised and Diane knew she could count on him keeping it.

"I think dinner is ready," Katherine announced and they all stood up.

"So what are your wishes for the bachelor party?" Adam stepped next to Kurt and they walked away from the ladies in the direction of the dining room.

"He will be in good hands," Katherine reassured Diane.

"I know," she smiled, "So what are you and Dylan going to wear for the wedding?" Diane looked from mother to daughter.

"I thought we could buy our dresses together sometime," Katherine replied and Dylan obviously loved the idea as well.

"I'm always ready for a shopping trip," Diane agreed and they followed the men to the dining table.

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**_The next chapter will be a D/W one ;) There are 7 chapters left alltogether.  
_**


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